BMW/YouTube Arnold Schwarzenegger as Zeus.
Arnold Schwarzenegger made a mighty return to the Super Bowl. Five years after starring in a Mobile Strike commercial during Super Bowl LI, the 74-year-old “Terminator” star was “back,” but in an even bigger way.
Decked out in a full beard as the Greek god Zeus, Schwarzenegger helped plug BMW’s upcoming electric car during the big game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams. The luxury carmaker’s two EVs, the iX and i4, will roll out in March 2022, according to AdWeek.
In addition to Schwarzenegger, Oscar-nominated star Salma Hayek Pinault played the role of Hera, aka the wife of Zeus, in the BMW commercial.
In the 60-second clip, the dynamic duo announces their retirement from Mount Olympus to Palm Springs. Zeus still has his zap, but the more laid-back life isn’t quite as “electric” for the two. Cue up the BMX ix, which helps the retired god “reclaim his spark.” Zeus and Hera even jam to the 1982 Eddy Grant song, “Electric Avenue,” as they take off in their new ride.
You can see the full ad below:
Schwarzenegger Faked Fans Out With a Teaser for His Zeus Project
Ahead of the release of the BMW ad, Schwarzenegger posted a teaser to his Instagram. In the photo shared to his social media page, the former Governor of California was dressed as the Zeus character for what appeared to be a movie poster.
“Coming February 22,” read the caption.
And fans were there for it. “Full circle from Hercules to Zeus,” wrote a follower in the comment section.
According to IMDb, in 1970, Schwarzenegger’s first big-screen movie role was in the fantasy comedy film, “Hercules in New York.” Hercules is the son of Zeus, so the new character is indeed a full-circle moment for the actor.
The Jig Was Up When BMW Released a First Look at the Ad Campaign
It didn’t take long for buzz about Schwarzenegger’s “Zeus” movie to be debunked. In a teaser posted 10 days ahead of game day, BMW teased that “Something electric is brewing”– and that the electricity was coming from a Greek god.
A teaser shared on social media featured Schwarzenegger dressed as Zeus, waiting at a coffee shop for his macchiato to be served. Or make that “Zoice,” as the barista (played by “Stranger Things” actor Matty Cardarople) mistakenly called him in the clip.
When an electrified Schwarzenegger corrected him to tell him it’s pronounced “Zeus,” the enlightened barista said, “Kind of like the Greek god of lightning?”
“It’s exactly like that,” replied Schwarzenegger, before giving the coffee slinger the evil eye.
Hayek Pinault also teased the ad ahead of the Super Bowl. In a post on her Instagram page, the star gave fans a first look at her Hera character as she confirmed she wasn’t starring in a “Zeus and Hera” movie with Schwarzenegger, but a game-day ad instead.
“I am very excited that my first @BMWUSA ad is for their first-ever electric iX. Check it out on 2.13.22,” Hayek Pinault captioned the photo. “Estoy muy emocionada de que mi primer anuncio de @BMWUSA sea para su primer iX eléctrico. Échale un vistazo el 2.13.22 .”
You can see the photo below:
Like Schwarzenegger, Hayek Pinault has past experience playing a character from Greek mythology. Screenrant noted that in the 2021 movie “Eternals,” she played Ajak, who is a character based on the Greek hero named Ajax.
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