If you’ve ever seen the movie “Lost in Translation” starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson you can picture the image: a famous actor pitching a product to a Japanese camera crew. For many years, celebrated Hollywood stars have appeared in commercials for Japanese products for big bucks with the understanding that the images would never find their way to America. The practice has been so widespread in Hollywood that it was the basis for Sofia Coppola’s Oscar-winning movie.
After viewing the hilarious Japander.com for five minutes, it’s easy to understand why any popular actor would want his work in Japan to stay there. Seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger pose with over-sized tea pots in a Cup Noodles commercial or Ben Stiller appear alongside a group of cheerleaders to promote a beverage called Chu Hi is a recipe for uncontrollable laughter.
But now, according to this article in the New York Times, that negative stigma might be changing, thanks in part to mega-celebrity Brad Pitt.
