Here’s What an Actor in Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi Commercial Has to Say About the Controversy
Last week’s controversial Pepsi commercial had everyone from celebs to the brand’s biggest competitor, Coca Cola, throwing shade, much of which was aimed at its star, Kendall Jenner. Despite having not been involved in the creative process, angry critics aren’t buying it, blaming her for taking a paycheck from the ad.
She wasn’t the only one marching in the ad’s faux-protest, however. Now, it’s other stars, many of whom were locals from Thailand (where the commercial was shot) and its neighboring lands, that are breaking their silence on the now-pulled campaign, saying that they had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
As one anonymous extra from Bangkok told People, “I don’t live in the USA.” He went on to add that he doesn’t feel wrong for contributing to the spot, even after hearing the backlash. “Maybe if I lived there and knew the [issues] before then, maybe I would feel bad. But I didn’t know anything, so I don’t feel bad.”
The unnamed actor told the mag that while extras were given some context for the commercial by Pepsi officials, the meaning behind it was lost on them, as it was portrayed much differently to extras working on the set than it was perceived by Americans.
“People say things to me like, ‘Why am I in the commercial?’ and say that it is really offensive,” he lamented. “It’s like, ‘I was just doing my job… The commercial had hip hop dancers and we were all together as humans,” he explained. “I think they tried to show the meaning that people from every country can be together. That’s what I had understood, but maybe now I am misunderstanding.”
As for Jenner, the source says she was, at the very least, a pleasant coworker, noting that she was nice to everyone on set and that the atmosphere onset was “fun” — the exact opposite from what it likely would have been in a real-life protest scenario.
Yikes!
What do you think of the extra’s take on the ad? Share with us @BritandCo.
(h/t Teen Vogue, photos via Kendall and Kylie/YouTube)