Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas has filmed a new advert for Wrigley’s Extra sugarfree gum, entitled Break up With Lingering Food; it sees him speaking candidly to a gang of animated food characters to try and get rid of strong food flavours after mealtimes.
The commercial shows the 52-year-old finishing off his meal in a restaurant, then attempting to ‘break up’ with the left overs of a doughnut and a cupcake – the animated characters don’t seem too keen on the Shrek star telling them ‘Look, lunch is over, so this is over.’ The ‘break-up’ is then confirmed as Banderas takes out a packet of the mint-flavoured gum and pops one in his mouth.
After filming was completed, Antonio said ‘Animation is a particular passion of mine, so to be able to play alongside an animated character, as opposed to doing the voice over for one, was something completely new for me.’ He went on to joke that he found it somewhat ‘unnerving’ to work with an animated doughnut who could ‘quite easily steal a scene.’
The company’s UK & Ireland Marketing Director Pamela Bower-Nye, said that they wanted to create a fun campaign for the New Year, saying ‘While we all love to eat and drink, some foods leave a lingering effect on teeth, and can be difficult to get rid of. Antonio brilliantly brings this scenario to life with the help of his Food Gang friends. The intention was to communicate the oral care benefits of chewing Extra gum after eating and drinking in a light-hearted and engaging way.’