10 Weird Celebrity Foreign Endorsements [VIDEOS]
Celebrities can make major bank when they go overseas to star in commercials and advertisements. Most of the time they don't like their US fans to know about them, which is kinda sketchy -- but then again, based on some of these ads, we know why.
Tons of A-listers have endorsed products from alcohol to coffee to ice cream, and the accompanying promotional spots are often truly bizarre. Take a look at 10 such commercials we dug up below.
- 10
Natalie Portman for Lux Super Rich Shampoo (Japan)
In Natalie Portman's ad, the actress walks into an audition, with her long shiny hair taking center-stage. As she picks up a sword and busts out some serious fencing skills, she spins around -- and suddenly she's wearing a ball gown and sword-fighting in a movie. According to the commercial, it's her hair that got her the role. And now you know how Oscars are won.
- 9
Cameron Diaz for Aeon Language School (Japan)
In the late 1990s, Cameron Diaz starred in this commercial for Aeon Language School, in which she uses the word "believe" a lot as she writes in a notebook. Does she have a foreign pen pal? Is she being held hostage in another country and trying to communicate with her captors? We'll never know for sure.
- 8
Jennifer Aniston for Heineken Beer (Netherlands)
This commercial in its entirety isn't that weird, unless you find it as odd as we do that health nut and Smartwater spokesperson Jennifer Aniston would actually consume beer. The ad shows Aniston reaching for Heineken, which is just out of her reach on the top shelf of a supermarket aisle. A smitten guy comes to her aid, but it's really the brew he's after -- and the look on her face when he walks away with the last two cans is priceless. (Maybe the "weird" part here is that guys in the Netherlands find beer more attractive than Jennifer Aniston.)
- 7
Uma Thurman for Schweppe's Ginger Ale (France)
Uma Thurman's Schweppe's Ginger Ale commercial shows why the phrase "double entendre" has French roots. As the actress lolls about in sexy attire during an interview, she tells a reporter in a husky voice how much she loves Schweppe's anytime and anywhere -- alone, at home, even in a taxi -- which causes the dude to sweat profusely. Her sip of the beverage is awkward and clearly meant not to mess up her perfectly-glossed lips, but the rest plays off her sultry image nicely.
- 6
Brad Pitt for Roots Canned Coffee (Japan)
Dig, if you will, the picture ... of Brad Pitt working in an office. Frustrated with a copy machine, Pitt throw backs some Roots iced coffee and then shoves the copier down a flight of stairs before retrieving a piece of paper from the wreckage. We hope that was his resignation letter -- because wow, is his boss gonna be pissed.
- 5
Drew Barrymore for Baskin Robbins (South Korea)
Drew Barrymore sure does like her ice cream, as evidenced by this ad she did in South Korea for Baskin Robbins. In the spot, Barrymore seductively licks a cone of green tea ice cream as she browses magazines at a newsstand -- which, of course, attracts the creepy attention of a bystander. What we don't see is her shoving the ice cream in his face before calling him a perv and making her exit.
- 4
Madonna for Takara (Japan)
This ad features Madonna dressed in a kimono during her brief "obsessed with Asian culture" era as she walks into a room, only to be greeted by a giant gold dragon. "How can I be pure?" she sings without a hint of irony as she pulls out her sword (man, foreign advertisers sure love their swords), swinging it in the air. The movements cause a gold ball to appear in her hand, which magically turns into a glass of Takara saki.
- 3
George Clooney for Martini (Europe)
In George Clooney's 2007 European commercial for Martini vermouth, the usually clean-shaven star sports a mustache, perhaps as a form of camouflage -- because when his beverage has no ice, a woman with a sword castrates an ice-carving of a bull, causing its disembodied "parts" to fall into his glass. "Magnifico," he responds, clearly finding the scary lady sexy even though most guys would've done a swift penguin-walk from the room with their legs tightly crossed.
- 2
Ben Stiller for Chu-Hi (Japan)
This commercial for Chu-Hi features a hilariously dubbed Ben Stiller surrounded by cheerleaders as he promotes the sparkling lemon cocktail. He then ends up covered in ice as a football team runs towards him, and he holds up the can and says, "Fresh!" It's everything a Japanese commercial should be.
- 1
Snoop Dogg for VybeMobile (Germany)
This spot for a German cell phone company features a schlumpy dude sitting on his kitchen floor watching a turtle (as you do) before he picks up his phone. Then Snoop Dogg magically comes out of a refrigerator in a tux and starts singing in German. That's followed by a bunch of dancing girls emerging from a dishwasher, which makes us wonder if perhaps Snoop's usual choice of recreational drug played a part in putting this whole thing together.