# Weird juxtaposition: Same actor in show and commercial **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2006, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668 "2006-02-09T07:32:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jaderabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@jaderabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaderabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/1 "2006-02-09T07:32:02Z")
Tonight, an Excedrin commercial aired during _Invasion_. It featured an intense-looking woman in an over-lit closeup. She talked very seriously about abolishing headache pain. But my husband and I recognized her and started laughing. They showed a preview for next week’s episode, in which the same actress plays a cold-blooded killer, a nasty nutcase of an alien hybrid. I do not want to know what this character’s headache cure is. She’s carrying a knife that has something reddish-brown all over the blade. It’s one thing if the show’s star is in a commercial for their next movie or something, but this was so bizarre, I’m surprised Excedrin would pay for it (probably they didn’t know). Have you ever seen such a weird case as this? ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/2 "2006-02-09T07:38:56Z")
Dennis Haysbert is in several Allstate insurance commercials, many of which air during _24_, where he played President David Palmer for the first four seasons. His deep voice and calm, controlling manner as the president made him an insurance pitchman you can see trusting. And hey, he has the loyalty of Jack Bauer! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/3 "2006-02-09T07:55:03Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Dennis Haysbert is in several Allstate insurance commercials, many of which air during _24_… _24_ is over the top for actor/commercial crossovers, what with Kiefer Sutherland being the Official Voice Of Ford and Ford being _24_’s main sponsor. Jack Bauer: “We keep thinking about improved suspension, because we want _you_ to drive a Ford. I said, DRIVE A FORD! DO IT _NOW!_” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/4 "2006-02-09T08:05:46Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Jack Bauer: “We keep thinking about improved suspension, because we want _you_ to drive a Ford. I said, DRIVE A FORD! DO IT _NOW!_” OR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL DIE! Aside from my devotion to _The Simpsons_, _24_ and _Arrested Development_, I don’t watch Fox a lot - but I swear they run the Haysbert AllState ads at a much higher frequency during _24_. Maybe they’re trying to trade in on the recognition? ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/5 "2006-02-09T08:30:56Z")
I prefer to think that they’re hip to the irony of a guy who just took a bullet to the throat shilling life insurance. ---
**Author:** ![priapus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@priapus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priapus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/6 "2006-02-09T08:39:37Z")
Back in the good old days of tv,actors would do commercials in character on their shows. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/7 "2006-02-09T08:39:45Z")
> [@BraheSilver](#): > > I prefer to think that they’re hip to the irony of a guy who just took a bullet to the throat shilling life insurance. That was excellent when the commercial started airing in that context, but they were showing him in AllState ads for at least the two seasons prior to that. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/8 "2006-02-09T16:01:22Z")
The first time I saw that Exedrin commercial, it was during an episode of _The West Wing_. That’s Elisabeth Moss, and she plays one of Martin Sheen’s daughters on that show. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/9 "2006-02-09T16:11:22Z")
Since HBO doesn’t do commercials as such (I’m not counting their promos for their upcoming shows) we’ll likely never see the Flonase commercial on HBO where Agent Harris (from The Sopranos) is going on about how this product will keep your sexy looking babe from getting all snotty. But I can’t help but wince whenever I see it on commercial channels. Poor Agent Harris. Degradation. I vaguely recall one of those Sonic dudes (the passenger) in some minor role on some show, but it didn’t seem abrupt. He’s yet to get much face time on TV other than that series of Sonic things. Of course it’s no big deal to see athletes hawking something in the middle of a game where they’re also on the field. I just wish Peyton Manning had more taste! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/10 "2006-02-09T16:25:48Z")
They used to run hair-care product commercials with Sarah Michelle Gellar in them during _Buffy the Vampire Slayer._ ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/11 "2006-02-09T18:15:06Z")
Of course, there’s a difference between a commercial with a celebrity spokesperson (like Gellar or Haysbert) and a commercial with a “character” who happens to be played by the same actor as appears in the show as a different character. For instance, I’m almost sure I saw that commercial with Morena Baccarin as a woman who notices make-up on the sweater her roommate secreta borrowed played during an episode of Firefly. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/12 "2006-02-09T18:20:26Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > _24_ is over the top for actor/commercial crossovers, what with Kiefer Sutherland being the Official Voice Of Ford and Ford being _24_’s main sponsor. I think it’s also Kiefer doing the Apple commercials. The ones about intel chips finally being used for something worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![jaderabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@jaderabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaderabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/13 "2006-02-10T05:51:46Z")
> [@Sean Factotum](#): > > The first time I saw that Exedrin commercial, it was during an episode of _The West Wing_. That’s Elisabeth Moss, and she plays one of Martin Sheen’s daughters on that show. That’s pretty funny. She must be taking all kinds of roles all at once. I guess the question is, would you take that character’s advice for headache medicine? Because seriously, the woman in _Invasion_ would cure a headache by sticking a rusty knife through somebody’s eye. And then she’d lecture people about it. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/14 "2006-02-10T05:59:21Z")
I was startled when I saw Mandy Patinkin playing Gideon in _Criminal Minds_, followed by Mandy Patinkin descending a set of stairs, pimping some cholesterol drug. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/15 "2006-02-10T07:50:26Z")
> [@priapus](#): > > Back in the good old days of tv,actors would do commercials in character on their shows. Hell, radio shows used to do that all the time. I still can’t look at Lipton’s [“edgy” offering](http://www.cool-drinks.com/Root%20Folder/Lipton.html) without thinking of the ads on _The Inner Sanctum_, with the surreal conversations between the morbid, corpse-obsessed, icy-voiced host and the cartoonishly cheery Lipton Tea Lady: “You’ll have to excuse my friend’s lethargy, Mary. All the blood’s just run out of him.” “Ooh, I know just how he feels. When I feel like that, I like to brew a nice cup of Lipton tea. It always picks me right up, because it’s _brisk!_” Or Phil Harris, who’d actually have shows about him and Remley trying to invent a new drug to impress Rexall, and testing it on the neighborhood brat, paraphrasing their slogan to cops during field sobriety tests – (“I’m as fine and pure and dependable as science can make me!”) etc. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_loblaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@bob\_loblaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_loblaw)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/16 "2006-02-10T09:55:06Z")
tom cavanagh, who starred in that show _ed_, and is currently starring in that show _love monkey_ (neither of which i have seen, i’m aware of their existence through promos only. not that there is anything necessarily wrong with those shows. i’m just saying…) has been shilling for everything from beer to banks in commercials for the last decade or more. (though i gather the commercials only air in canada.) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-juxtaposition-same-actor-in-show-and-commercial/343668/17 "2006-02-11T01:51:15Z")
Jeffrey Tambor just appeared in an insurance commercial during _Arrested Development_. I don’t think any of his Planter’s Peanut ads have ever run during the show, but he does those too.