American actor Richard Gere is appearing in a new advertising campaign for European soft drink brand Orangina in Japan. In the commercials and posters, Gere, 64, appears as Tora-san, the lovable loser in Shochiku’s popular 48-film series of Japanese comedy movies.
He first played the character in a series of Orangina ads in 2012. Gere told Japanese media this is the first time he has ever played the same character in a series of advertisements, an experience he termed "very interesting," Sports Nippon reported Thursday.
In one version, 25-year old actress Yuri Ishizaka looks out the window of a train as she takes in the scenery while tears roll down her cheeks. Gere's character "Tora-san" takes notice of the crying woman and as the train comes to a stop at a station, he runs out and buys her an Orangina from a kiosk. Together with his young friend, Gere cheers up the woman as the commercial comes to a close.
Suntory, which bought the brand in 2009, will launch the ad campaign nationwide on April 15.
© Japan Today
23 Comments
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Marilita Fabie-Fujisawa
And.....????
kurisupisu
Any would be foreign 'Tora-sans' should be prepared to find themselves in the back of a police patrol car! This ad should carry a warning.....
Patricia Yarrow
I like R. Gere, and these ads are charming.
Abhorsenaube
I haven't seen Gere in anything in the States for a while, guess I know what he's been up to now.
SamuraiBlue
Is Gere aiming for the next Tommy Lee Jones? LoL
nath
He is a fan of Japan. If you haven't seen the movie Hachi, you should. It melted my cynical, cold little heart.
papigiulio
no youtube link JT?
Moderator
It doesn't air until April 15.
gokai_wo_maneku
Blasphamy, I say!
Kimokekahuna Hawaii
I thought he was dead...
nath
I'm not sure how you reply to posts, so @Peter Payne, I assume by Hachi you mean the dog film? He was also in Akira Kurosawa's Hachi-gatsu no kyôshikyoku (Rhapsody in August -English name)
tmarie
Don't think its about his love of Japan, more like his love of how much he gets for the ads.
Patricia Yarrow
Hey, tmarie, it could be both! Works for a whole lot of folks.
noirgaijin
Gere is a devout Buddhist and has a strong connection and love for Japan.
Fadamor
When asked about why he was doing commercials in Japan, Gere apparently had a flashback to a scene in "An Officer and a Gentlemen" when he blurted out, "I GOT NO WHERE ELSE TO GO!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiIZLDeMOg0
James Dean Jnr.
He is? But.. why?
Serrano
Why not?
nath
Oh, how I miss Tora-san.
ka_chan
This CM may not be released yet but here are some old ones.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUzoEMMUBnc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNn3ZxkwIkM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIxWvSG3lys
tmarie
Gere is a devout Buddhist and has a strong connection and love for Japan.
Could you support your claims on this? I was under the impression he was more central asian Buddhist, not Japanese. Doing a few well paying CMs and a movie or two with Japanese themes doesn't equal a strong connection. It means making wise business decisions. I like Richard but like any other "actor" I see doing ads here, I can'T but think it is all about the money. Which is fine but when people make it seem like they're doing this because of their love of Japan, its rather amusing.
nath
Why can't it be both? One doesn't necessarily preclude the other.
tmarie
It could be both but I can't say I've heard him go on about the love of this place without a paycheck attached to it.
Zybster
And even if he's getting a fat pay for those commercials, what's wrong with an actor acting for money?