In a mash-up of one of the most enduring Canadian stereotypes -- the polite Canuck -- and the trend that just, er, won’t die, a new ad tells that age-old struggling-actor tale of a real zombie who’s just too nice to get work.
In the nearly three-minute ad for the Canadian Film Fest, zombie and actor Antoine Zombe enjoys a bowl of brains and maple syrup as he recounts his struggle to get work in zombie films because he was too polite.
“You’re too nice,” his agent tells him when he complains that he’s not being sent on auditions. “But you’re a good kid.”
When he does get roles, he can’t drop his polite persona long enough to frighten anybody.
“Less polite Canadian, more zombie,” one director says as he holds the door open for actors he’s supposed to be chasing.
As he cycles through his neighbourhood tossing newspapers from his bicycle, Zombe realizes that if he wants to be a movie star, he’s going to have to drop the nice guy act.
“I knew I had to dig deep and harness my one true advantage: that I was an actual zombie,” he says.
After frightening a female casting agent on an audition for the role of “Zombie Number Three,” the offers start pouring in.
“Canadian or not, I knew in my cold, dead heart that I could be the best zombie,” he says. His hits include “Rest in Pieces,” “Raging Zombie,” “Eating Private Bryan,” and even “Posti Letto Con I Pesci” (Sleeps with the Fishes).
The ad comes back to how Zombe remains committed to making Canadian films, despite his fame and fortune.
“Now I can work wherever I want, but I choose to do it right here at home.”
Earlier Monday, Adweek tweeted a link to the commercial, calling the spot its “ad of the day.”
Meanwhile, the 2014 Canadian Film Fest runs from March 20 to 22.
