Brad Pitt carries a sumo wrestler while a Department of Eagles tune plays in the background of this new commercial for Japanese cellphone company Softbank. Spike Jonze, who directed the commercial, had said that he wanted to make the actor seem “prissy.” I think he succeeded.
American celebrities will often endorse Japanese products or film commercials that air only in Japan. The companies are either paying them a hefty sum, or they don’t mind pimping themselves out if its for a commercial that will (hopefully) never see the light of day in the U.S.
When I was there, Tommy Lee Jones’ haggard, disapproving face was plastered all over billboards advertising BOSS coffee. Brad Pitt has also done his share of coffee endorsement, although he prefers Roots brand coffee. If you’re interested, you can watch Kiefer Sutherland scream at a train full of Japanese school girls or see California’s current incumbent governor attempt to speak Japanese then fly through outer space in a red and gold tuxedo.
You should definitely watch that last one. Really.
Brad looks better in this than he has in years.
I was in Tokyo last year and we would laugh hysterically at the Tommy Lee Jones ads. There was a picture of him on every second vending machine. What made us laugh was the picture. It looked like a still from Men In Black. Like he couldn’t even be bothered to do a photo shoot for whatever he was hocking (I don’t speak or read Japanese so I don’t know), it just looked so low-rent.