OCTOBER 30, 2007

30-second moonlighting by American stars in Japan

WEB VIDEO: Kiefer Sutherland for Calorie Mate

Kiefer Sutherland’s gung ho portrayal of Jack Bauer on 24 is often parodied, but you wouldn’t expect the actor himself to get in on the fun — Americans seem to want their unofficial superheroes to remain in character. But all bets are off in Japan, where Sutherland plays Bauer in a series of commercials for the Japanese snack food Calorie Mate — straight-faced and order-snapping as he is bombarded by Calorie Mate promotions, Japanese schoolgirls, and bumbling sidekicks, all while racing to stop terrorists.

Sutherland’s turn as a huckster is nothing new, of course — stars have been sneaking into foreign commercials for years — but until the advent of YouTube (oh, how we love you!), most of these ads remained tantalizing rumors. Now one YouTube user has compiled an archive of celebrity commercials that includes Sutherland’s exploits, a hilariously dubbed Ben Stiller spot, and Hulk Hogan singing a jingle for Hitachi.

One of Kiefer Sutherland’s ads for Calorie Mate

the YouTube archive of Japanese commercials with American stars

Ask.com for Japanese ads with American stars

to a friend

Invite a Friend

Sign Up

Share