Yes, George Clooney Is Available for Your Ad -- But Only in Foreign Countries
A Swiss fair trade organization is asking people to write to George Clooney to get him to pressure Nestle to use only fair trade coffee in its brands. This statement only makes sense once you know that in Europe Clooney has for years been the face of Nespresso, an instant coffee brand. Clooney, despite being one of Hollywood's most bankable stars -- is anyone not looking forward to seeing Ides of March? -- nonetheless seems to say "yes" whenever some international ad agency comes calling.
Here's one of his most famous ads for Nespresso:
Note that there's a suggestion here that Clooney might show up at your local cafe, where you can flirt with him. You'll need to have seen that commercial to make sense of the one on the next page, in which the Swiss fair trade lobby group Solidar insists that when it comes to the exploitation of third world coffee-pickers, "George Clooney can change this."
Begin gallery of George Clooney's foreign TV ads»
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1. Trying to kill George Clooney
Nespresso is one of the most expensive coffees but, sadly, not fairly traded. And it's all Clooney's fault!
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2. DnB NOR -- the bank for those who don't marry Clooney
This is one of Clooney's best foreign ads: It's for a Norwegian bank that's trying to encourage saving, and features a woman who wakes up after a weekend bender to find that (unlike you) she's hit the Clooney jackpot.
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3. Emidio Tucci, Spain
Yes, there is a way to make Clooney not look cool. Perhaps he owed someone a favor.
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4. DnB NOR Part 2
Back for more with the Norwegian woman of his dreams.
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5. Trading his Lake Como mansion in Heaven
John Malkovich appears as the Almighty and Clooney attempts to negotiate his way out of his own death. The ad sounds as if it's ad-libbed -- all the more so once you know that Clooney does in fact have a Lake Como house. This is the ad that's being spoofed in the Solidar spot.
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6. Mercedes China
No cliche goes un-cliched in this luxury auto spot. The idea that you too could date Clooney appears once again.
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7. Nespresso with Nicole Kidman
One of Nespresso's weirder commercials, in which Clooney appears to have caused a mysterious affront to the former Mrs. Tom Cruise.
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8. Martini with Shannyn Sossamon
Easily the most original use of Clooney of the bunch, playing against type as a goofball.
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9. Toyota Japan
Ugh. Truly horrible. Why pay for a star if you're not going to use him?
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10. Fiat - George Not Included
Again, another ad that suggests Clooney will somehow fall ass-backwards into your life. The meme is so common in Europe it was actually used as the joke in this ad that does not star Clooney, even though it uses his name.