Dame Helen Mirren Paid Handsomely for Wii Fit Ads

[Greg Tito]

Dame Helen Mirren Paid Handsomely for Wii Fit Ads

Helen Mirren was paid an extravagant amount of money to appear in a British advertisement for Nintendo's Wii Fit.

The marketers for Nintendo knew exactly who they wanted to sell its exercise accessory, the Wii Fit Plus, to seniors in the British Isles. The spokesperson would have to be someone attractive and fit, but in their golden years. Helen Mirren seemed the perfect choice. Mirren won an Oscar for her role in The Queen in 2006 and recently appeared in RED alongside Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman. A source close to Ms. Mirren said that Nintendo wanted her and only her. How much was Nintendo willing to fork over for Ms. Mirren to shill its product? She was reportedly paid £500,000 for just two days of shooting. That's US $807,100 for those of you counting at home. Not a bad payday for a 65 year old.

Unfortunately, this is the only video on the web of the Nintendo commercial starring Mirren, which ironically has more advertisements overlaid on it by some enterprising individual.


"Nintendo insisted they wanted Helen and no one else," said a friend of Mirren. "They wanted an older, more attractive woman to show that the Wii isn't just for children." Apparently, Nintendo believed that she was the only choice to try to convince elder British ladies that the Wii Fit can help them look as good as she does. And it's not just the British either, I find myself entranced by Ms. Mirren.

She seems so serene and calm, doesn't she? She looks so good working out with the yoga game; I could totally do that. Maybe I should buy a Wii Fit Plus. I wonder if there are any in stock at Target ...

Damn you, Mirren, you're good. Almost had me there. Whew.

Source: MSN [http://news.ph.msn.com/entertainment/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4445966]



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[Delusibeta]

Half a million for two days shooting? That's probably pretty low in terms of Ads with Famous People in them.

 

[Jim Grim]

Why am I filled with an inexplicable sense of rage?

 

[Mr.Pandah]

Ugh...I enjoyed her performance in RED, but this...no thanks. That is way too much money for this. A freakin' commercial...Give the part to my grandmother, she could use that money.

 

[Sparrow]

Well, the woman sells. And, if I do say so myself, she's looking pretty good for 65.

Apparently, Nintendo believed that she was the only choice to try to convince elder British ladies that the Wii Fit can help them look as good as she does. And it's not just the English, I find myself entranced by Ms. Mirren.

Tito, you did NOT just call English and British the same thing did you?

 

[Stabby Joe]

She probably doesn't even care for the product. Despite what they preach, not every likes Nintendo or games.

 

[latenightapplepie]

I'm not going to hold this against Ms. Mirren because I think she's gorgeous and a really wonderful actress. However I will say that she better do something half-meaningful with that amount of money. Still, I suppose she isn't taking money from an ethically-questionable company; I mean, Nintendo and its Wii Fit really aren't so bad, I guess.

 

[Gigaguy64]

WHOA, that's a lot of money.

but hey, if they can afford it, then why not?
Its their money.

 

[tomtom94]

If they get a million dollars worth of sales her advertising paycheck is easily justifiable.

(However, celebrities are all overpaid and blah blah etc, does this really need saying any more?)

 

[Decabo]

Helen Mirren is the second greatest actress still living, (First is Penelope Cruz) so that much seems appropriate.

 

[xchurchx]

the Wii get loads of celebs
they advertised super mario bros with the Rednaps and tht other bloke on the couch
nintendo are just showing off how much their making

 

[Wandrecanada]

I love Helen Mirren as much as the next guy (which is to say lots!) but with Kinect out and their fitness games having seen the light of day Wii-Fit is a terrible sham by comparison. I guess everyone's looking for cash all over the place with the economy these days?