Ben Stiller as Derek Zoolander in the Pepsi Zero Sugar commercial

Ben Stiller is finally playing again…although his returning vehicle isn’t what you expected.

Stiller – who hasn’t directed a film since the 2017 comedy-drama Brad’s Status — stars in a Super Bowl commercial for Pepsi Zero Sugar (see below), which ironically highlights his acting skills.

“Yeah, that’s it, it’s the big comeback,” Stiller laughed during a Zoom interview with Yahoo.

Directed by Jorma Taccone (MacGruber, pop star), the one-minute spot shows Stiller in Master Thespian mode performing fake movie scenes – killing an evil alien, proposing to his girlfriend in a restaurant, freezing to death in a snowy forest, interacting with a droid on a planet distant – as he demonstrates the ultimate goal of action.

“My job as an actor is to make you believe what you see is real,” Stiller tells the camera. “But it’s not real – it’s just an act.”

Stiller’s edit also includes a very real role: Derek Zoolander, the lovable but silly male model of the 2001 comedy favorite Zoolander. (The actor returned to the role in the less enthusiastic 2016 sequel zoo lander 2.)

“Derek has really managed to persevere through thick and thin in the hard-working male modeling business over the years,” jokes Stiller, who admitted he will always have a special place in his heart for the self-proclaimed “ridiculously handsome” innovator. of “Blue”. Steel,” among other famous poses.

How does this all relate to Pepsi Zero Sugar? Do is this all related to Pepsi Zero Sugar?

Stiller takes a sip of the soft drink (“Wow, that’s really good”) before turning back to the camera, “Or was I just acting?”

Kudos to Pepsi for having fun with the concept of celebrity ad campaigns, and a question viewers often ask: is so-and-so actually using this product in real life, or is it happy to trade (for a lot of money)?

While Stiller prefers to play on the mystery of advertising, he has hinted that he likes Pepsi products. When asked if he played a role in reigniting the so-called “Coke Wars,” Stiller replied, “Hey, that’s better than any other kind of war.”

Along with Derek Zoolander, Stiller is the latest actor to reprise an iconic role while raking in commercial dollars for the vast Super Bowl audience. Sigourney Weaver brought it back to life Foreign Heroine Ripley for DirecTV in 2007, Matthew Broderick brought back Ferris Bueller for a Honda spot in 2012, Laurence Fishburne transformed into Morpheus in 2014 matrix-inspired by the Kia ad (while Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith was once a shilling for General Electric), and Bill Murray revived his groundhog day Weatherman Phil Connors for a 2020 Jeep ad.

Stiller isn’t even the only one back this year. Seats are also scheduled for Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. breaking Bad Stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are preparing a commercial for Doritos and clueless Former Alicia Silverstone and Elisa Donovan reunite for Rakuten.

In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment in early 2022, Stiller opened up about his relationship with acting.

“It wasn’t entirely intentional, other than the fact that I really love directing and producing,” said Stiller, whose recent acting work has been limited to cameos in a few comedies. [2020’s Hubie Halloween and 2022’s Bros] Because he focused behind the camera, his credits include directing and executive producing the hit Apple TV+ series. severance pay.

“I’m getting to the point where I kinda miss the game and would like to know how to do something again.”

Perhaps Stiller has recently found his In fact return vehicle. It was reported on Monday that he was in final talks to play a trio of roles in the limited series. Three identical strangersbased on the 2018 Sundance Award-winning documentary of the same name.

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