Del Toro’s Heineken Ad Teases Episode VIII Spoiler
OLD SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — Heineken International, the Dutch producer of Heineken lager beer, has launched an international advertising campaign starring Oscar-winner Benicio del Toro. The multi-million dollar effort is built around the theme “There’s more behind the star,” referencing the iconic red star on Heineken bottles. In the inaugural TV spot del Toro pokes fun at his own celebrity or lack thereof, with a pair of tourists confusing him for Spanish actor Antonio Banderas.
Apparently, there is “more behind the Star Wars” as well, since FSW sources have confirmed the idea behind the spot was conceived of by del Toro and Banderas on the set of Star Wars: Episode VIII. In the upcoming Rian Johnson film del Toro plays a villain named Casador Equis (Hunter X), a Force-sensitive bounty hunter enlisted by Supreme Leader Snoke to capture Resistance heroes Finn and Poe. Casador Equis fancies the use of a face mask, lightsaber rapier and all-black clothing, the highlight of which is a cape that seems to have a mind of its own. This sentient accessory inspired costume designer Michael Kaplan to place a call to an old friend.
“I knew El Tigre Tony (Antonio Banderas) was finishing up his degree in cape design at Central Saint Martin in London… a short drive away. So I figured, who better to design del Toro’s cape than Zorro himself?!”
Before long, Banderas was on set with del Toro, producing real-time sketches long into the night. The pair of actors joked about how often they’ve been mistaken for each other, and how much more it would occur after Episode VIII is released. Their late night banter laid the groundwork for several initiatives, which are just now starting to bear fruit.
Not only did del Toro and Banderas manage to sell-in their commercial idea to Heineken and their advertising agency, Publicis Worldwide, they also convinced Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy to let Banderas himself play Casador Equis in a scene in Episode VIII. As cheeky as that sounds, it gets even more playful with del Toro portraying a stormtrooper alongside Prince William and Prince Harry in the aforementioned scene.
The “Cape Men” of del Toro and Banderas also managed to recruit half-Gwar-temalan, half Cuban Oscar Isaac into their sewing circle. “By day they’d cut jokes and capes, but by night they’d be cutting the floor like nobody’s business,” added Kaplan.
According to Pinewood sources, Isaac would play salsa-infused ska while del Toro and Banderas held dance-offs with anyone game enough to partner. Isaac’s uncle is said to have made quiet a swing pair with Jurassic Park alum Laura Dern, whereas Daisy Ridley and del Toro were standout tango partners, despite being arch-rivals in the space opera. The playfulness on-set sparked by “The Band-eras of Brothers” has made director Johnson a huge fan of the Latin contingent.
“I still refer to Benny as Banderas, but now I troll them even harder by calling Oscar Benicio. So yeah, I love them together. And I believe this is not the last you’ll see of them in the Star Wars galaxy. Si se puede, my butter pecan hermanos!”
Be on the look out for del Toro’s Heineken commercials. Three TV spots in Galactic Basic Standard and Spanglish, along with several digital films for the web have been released, with a few more on the horizon. As always, stay tuned to FakingStarWars.net for the latest made up news from a made up galaxy far, far away. We’re also on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and even Miitomo!
-William “Willybobo” Bobo
