Cyrus Langhorne
The Pepsi and Kendall Jenner pulled-commercial drama is still fizzing. An extra from the controversial ad has come forward to speak on its aftermath.
Despite the widespread backlash, an unnamed actor felt no shame in the ad’s presentation.
“I don’t live in the U.S.A. Maybe if I lived there and knew the [issues] before then, maybe I would feel bad,” one actor from Bangkok, who asked to remain anonymous, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “But I didn’t know anything, so I don’t feel bad.” (PEOPLE)
The Pepsi extra also said he believed the commercial promoted unity.
“It’s like, I was just doing my job. They asked me to be in the commercial.” He also adds that Pepsi officials discussed the direction for the ad with him beforehand, and he understood it to depict a message of “unity.” “The commercial had hip-hop dancers and we were all together as humans,” he says. “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’m misunderstanding.” (PEOPLE)
Last week, actor/singer Tyrese weighed-in on the Pepsi drama and provided insight how the company could avoid making the same mistake.
“Coca-Cola, that’s how it all started for me. Coca-Cola, we represent that realness. 20 years, it’s how we do it. I do have some advice for corporate America, get some more black people in your boardrooms. Get some more diversity in your boardrooms. Here’s the thing, as much as I would love to take off on the Kardashians, I can’t really make it about them even though they’re definitely supposed to be in-tune with what’s going down and what’s not going down. I just think at the end of the day, corporate America could find themselves saying, ‘Well, we’re still selling this many this and moving this many units, it’s still looking like this in the stock market, so we must have it together.’ But you gotta have more diversity in those boardrooms to be able to have a voice that represents the sensitivities to what’s going on around our world. If I go to London and I’m trying to doing something politically, imagine me as an American going to London trying to make a statement in a country that’s not mine. You gotta consult with people.” (“Sway In The Morning”)
A few days ago, reports suggested Kendall Jenner had felt devastated over her controversial ad.
A source familiar with Jenner’s deal with Pepsi tells ET that the commercial was only slated to air overseas, not in the U.S., but it ended up making the rounds online, with even the 21-year-old model tweeting it out. The source adds that Jenner is “devastated” by the backlash, as she’s already been called out for her involvement in the ad by several of her Twitter followers. “This is the first controversial campaign she has been involved with,” the source continues. “Even though she had nothing to do with the production and the message of the campaign, she will be blamed for this since she is the face.” (ET Online)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA5Yq1DLSmQ
