21/01/2026
Papua New Guinea becomes the backdrop to a once-in-a-lifetime meeting
Papua New Guinea features as a pivotal setting in the BBC story about Shad Ellis, a London Tube driver who has spent most of his life working as a Will Smith lookalike. PNG was one of the global filming locations for Pole to Pole, a National Geographic series following Will Smith’s journey across seven continents.
Ellis was flown to Papua New Guinea ahead of Smith to act as a body double, helping crews set up shots and lighting in remote locations. In some cases, he even stood in for aerial shots where the actor’s face would not be clearly visible.
It was in Papua New Guinea, on the final day of filming, that the story reached its emotional peak. On a remote beach, away from cameras, Ellis and Smith took a walk together. Ellis used the moment to thank Smith for unknowingly shaping his life and career over three decades, telling him that his success had opened doors Ellis never imagined possible.
Smith responded warmly, praising Ellis’s work as “genius” and embracing him in a hug. The quiet beach in Papua New Guinea thus became the place where a long-running tribute career came full circle — not as a performance, but as a deeply personal moment of gratitude between two men whose lives had intersected in an unexpected way.
