We love a good nostalgic cameo! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 times actors returned to iconic roles for commercials.
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00:00 "Rage Scott! The time of circus must have malfunctioned."
00:03 "Ugh!"
00:04 "I don't know what that means, sir."
00:08 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 times actors returned to iconic roles for commercials.
00:15 "We have to help the planet."
00:16 "Oh, please, cheer."
00:18 Number 10.
00:19 Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Raymond Cruz as Walt, Jesse, and Tuco.
00:24 Popcorners.
00:25 "Yo, Mr. White, these are the bomb!"
00:28 "And they're air popped, not fried."
00:30 Over a decade after we first saw Walt and Jesse team up to make a less-than-legal substance in Breaking Bad,
00:36 the duo returned to sell snacks.
00:38 The pair effortlessly slipped back into their offbeat dynamic for the ad.
00:42 Just when we thought things couldn't get any better,
00:44 Raymond Cruz returned as the unstable and violence-prone Tuco.
00:48 "What are these?"
00:48 "We call them Popcorners."
00:51 "Say their name."
00:53 The trio commits to the bit so well that you could mistake this ad as an actual episode of the drama.
00:58 It also helps that they star in scenes that directly parody iconic moments from the show.
01:02 By the time we reach the commercial's credits, we're ready to grab a snack and re-watch Breaking Bad.
01:07 "Popcorners break into something good."
01:10 "I am the one who snacks."
01:14 Number 9.
01:16 Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw and Jeff Bridges as the Dude.
01:20 Stella Artois.
01:21 "Cosmopolitan?"
01:22 "Nope. Tonight I'll have a Stella Artois."
01:24 Many of our favorite characters have equally iconic drink orders.
01:29 While Carrie Bradshaw is known for her love of Cosmopolitans,
01:33 everyone knows that the Dude loves White Russians.
01:36 But both icons put aside their faves to try Stella Artois in a memorable ad.
01:40 While everyone around the characters lose their minds at the change,
01:44 both Carrie and the Dude enjoy the change of pace.
01:46 "White Russian?"
01:47 "No, Gary, give me a Stella Artois."
01:51 "Interesting twist."
01:52 Bridges and Parker only need moments of screen time to perfectly capture their most memorable roles.
01:57 And the choice to bring in the interesting Dos Equis adman to promote Stella was genius.
02:02 Although we never thought we'd see this trio share the same room,
02:05 we have to toast the commercial's creators for making such a memorable spot.
02:09 "Excuse me."
02:09 "Good choice."
02:12 "Well, changing can do a little good. Do the bides."
02:16 Number 8.
02:17 Bill Murray as Phil Connors.
02:19 Jeep.
02:19 "Okay, campers, rise and shine. It's Groundhog Day!"
02:23 "Phil, no."
02:24 During Groundhog Day, a weatherman becomes depressed after getting trapped in a time loop
02:28 where he must endlessly relive the same day.
02:31 Car company Jeep boldly suggested that Phil would have been happier with his situation
02:35 had he had one of their newest cars.
02:37 "Hey, Farmer Bob."
02:38 "Have we met?"
02:39 "You believe this guy?"
02:41 "About a hundred times."
02:42 "You're gonna freeze to death."
02:44 "Who cares? See you tomorrow."
02:46 In the funny commercial,
02:47 he uses their vehicle to go on a variety of fun adventures with a famous groundhog.
02:51 The hilarious spot also allows room for Stephen Tobolsky to return as Ned
02:56 and Brian Doyle Murray to reprise his role as Buster.
02:59 Although we wouldn't want to be stuck reliving the same day,
03:02 we definitely wouldn't mind watching this Murray-led commercial on a loop.
03:05 "It's not a bad day, huh?"
03:08 Number 7.
03:10 Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz.
03:13 Rakuten.
03:13 "I used to be pretty clueless about shopping."
03:16 "Like, when I heard I could save by getting cash back with Rakuten, I was like, 'As if!'"
03:21 If someone had told us that this clueless commercial was released in the 90s to coincide
03:25 with the movie release, we would have believed them.
03:27 It didn't feel like a day had passed for Alicia Silverstone between the 2023 commercial
03:32 and the original movie.
03:33 This is largely due to the excellent way the actress channel shares preppy energy.
03:37 "In conclusion, you'd have to be butt crazy to shop with that Rakuten."
03:41 Not to be outdone,
03:42 Alisa Donovan also shines by appearing as Amber during a spirited classroom debate.
03:47 The setup and performances are so fun here that we don't even care that we're in the
03:51 middle of an ad.
03:52 We're way too busy reliving the glory days of the 90s right alongside Alicia Silverstone's Cher.
03:56 "Aren't you a little old for high school?"
03:58 "What?"
04:00 Number 6.
04:01 Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown.
04:03 Nike.
04:03 "Shoes! I need shoes!"
04:09 Instead of opening on everyone's favorite quirky time-traveling scientist,
04:13 this Nike commercial slowly builds up to his entrance.
04:16 We instead focus on Kevin Durant and Bill Hader admiring sneakers that look identical
04:20 to the legendary shoes from Back to the Future Part 2.
04:23 Suddenly, Doc Brown comes bursting through the door to get himself a pair.
04:26 "Does this power lace?"
04:28 "Not till 2015."
04:31 Christopher Lloyd fully brings the Doc's manic energy back to the table.
04:35 Although his co-star doesn't appear,
04:37 it's revealed that the proceeds from the shoe sales will support Michael J. Fox's
04:41 Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
04:43 That fact made Lloyd's cameo both fun and incredibly heartwarming.
04:47 "Wait, Scott! The time assertion must have malfunctioned."
04:50 "I don't know what that means, sir."
04:55 Number 5.
04:56 Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McAllister.
04:58 Google Assistant.
04:59 "Mom? Dad? Hey Google, what's on my calendar today?"
05:04 "You have one event called 'House to Yourself'."
05:06 "Oh, yeah."
05:07 Filmmakers have tried and failed to make Home Alone sequels that recapture the magic of the
05:12 first movie. Fans who are tired of the disappointing follow-up should give a certain Google commercial
05:17 a try. During the ad, an adult Kevin McAllister once again wakes up in an empty home. He uses
05:22 the time to himself to enjoy a familiar-looking Chicago house with the aid of his Google Assistant.
05:27 "Someone's in the front door."
05:29 "What do I owe you?"
05:30 "Looks like you paid online."
05:31 "Keep the change, you filthy animal."
05:34 As the ad goes on, we get homages to the original movie and clever twists on the film's best
05:39 moments. The commercial filled us with both nostalgia and holiday spirit. It's safe to
05:44 say that this modern take on Operation Kevin was a complete success.
05:48 "Operation Kevin underway."
05:49 Number 4.
05:57 Mike Myers, Rob Lowe, Mindy Sterling, and Seth Green as Austin Powers villains.
06:02 General Motors.
06:03 "Ladies and gentlemen, our takeover of General Motors is complete."
06:08 "Dr. Evil, we can now use GM's Ultium platform to power our whole operation."
06:12 It was always fun to see Dr. Evil meet with his minions and co-conspirators as they discuss
06:17 their sinister plans. General Motors gave us yet another chance to see them hang out
06:21 while adding a clever twist. After taking over the car company, Dr. Evil was ready to
06:25 use his new resources for world conquest. However, his allies mentioned that he needed
06:30 to address climate change before conquering anything. Dr. Evil is finally convinced to
06:35 go electric after a hilarious exchange. "Hold on, I've got it. I will help save the world
06:41 first, then take over the world." "Ingenious, Dr. Evil."
06:46 While the commercial's message isn't the most subtle, it was a clever way to show that
06:51 General Motors was moving towards sustainable practices. The presence of the villains also
06:55 got fans hungry to see another Austin Powers film set after Dr. Evil's hostile takeover.
07:00 "We'll reduce their carbon footprint." "Whatever. Okay, people, we're going all
07:06 electric." "Whoa, the floor's opened up."
07:10 Number 3. Multiple Mean Girls Main Characters - Walmart
07:13 When it came time to promote Black Friday and Cyber Monday, one superstore went above
07:18 and beyond with a series of commercials that was absolutely fetch. "This is gonna be so
07:23 fetch." "Stop trying to make fetch happen, mom. It's still not gonna happen."
07:26 Walmart gave Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, and Daniel Fransesi dedicated
07:31 Mean Girls spots. They also came together for a familiar show. There are enough Easter
07:37 eggs and movie references within the series to fill up an entire burn book. "I wish every
07:42 day could be Cyber Monday. I just have a lot of shopping to do. Get us out of here."
07:49 Outside of callbacks, the commercials give us great glimpses at what a few of our favorite
07:53 characters got up to after their high school days were over. Every single actor brought
07:57 their A-game to their roles. This series of Walmart ads can definitely sit with us.
08:01 Number 2. Bruce Willis as John McClane - Advanced Auto Parts
08:08 Some diehard fans wondered what happened to the villain Theo after he was knocked out
08:17 by supporting character Argyle in the first movie. Fortunately for curious fans, the antagonist
08:23 returned to try and slay John McClane after the hero had trouble with his car battery.
08:27 The late Clarence Gilliard Jr. did a fantastic job playing a hammy villain. Bruce Willis also
08:33 homaged our favorite diehard moments without missing a beat. To make matters better,
08:38 DeVoye White's Argyle returned to help. Not only did the events of the commercial work in the
08:49 diehard timeline, but they're brought to life with legitimately great choreography and stunts.
08:54 We never expected a car battery commercial to give us a stellar follow-up to a fantastic action movie.
09:06 Before we click over to our top pick, let's highlight some star-studded honorable mentions.
09:10 Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean - Snickers
09:13 Richard Dean Anderson as MacGyver - Mastercard
09:30 The actor made an exciting escape in a priceless ad.
09:33 Jim Carrey as the Cable Guy - Verizon
09:47 It was great to see a cult favorite character back in the spotlight.
09:51 Lawrence Fishburne as Morpheus - Kia
09:52 Who knew the rebellious character was so good at selling cars?
09:55 Wayne Knight as Newman - The United States Postal Service
10:06 The funnyman harnessed Newman's anger to deliver a
10:09 special commercial for the United States Postal Service.
10:12 The funnyman was a great actor, and he was a great actor.
10:15 The funnyman was a great actor, and he was a great actor.
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10:45 Henry Thomas as Elliot Taylor - Xfinity
10:50 Generations of movie fans remember the tear-jerking ending of E.T.
11:00 After the young Elliot spent time befriending an extraterrestrial,
11:03 the alien left the planet to reunite with his family.
11:05 The 2019 Xfinity commercial gave us a heartwarming reunion when E.T.
11:10 returned to see an adult Elliot that was still played by Henry Thomas.
11:13 We struggled to hold back tears when the two finally embraced after all these years.
11:20 As the heartwarming commercial continued, Elliot and his family invited E.T. to watch
11:24 holiday movies, share meals, and try out VR. These tender scenes stirred up strong feelings
11:30 of nostalgia and warmth. While everyone gave great performances, this ad would not have
11:35 worked had Henry Thomas not been there to welcome E.T. home. What's your favorite
11:42 iconic character cameo in a commercial? Let us know in the comments.
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