Nia Long has accomplished a lot in Hollywood. Whether it’s starring in hit films such as Boyz in the Hood, The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday, or appearing in TV shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Third Watch or NCIS: Los Angeles, the 50-year-old actress has virtually done it all. But there is one milestone Long just reached, which is appearing in her very first commercial. PopCulture.com recently caught up with Long who talked about her experience starring in a new Old Spice commercial with Deon Cole and Gabrielle Dennis.
“It is my first commercial ever, the first,” Long told PopCulture. “It’s so cool. I was so excited. I was excited because it was something different. And I remember very early on in my career I would go out for commercial auditions and I would never get the job. And I’m like ‘Okay, maybe commercials are not for me.’ It’s just nice to be a part of something that is huge.”
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In the commercial, Long works as a relationship therapist, helping the Old Spice “Men Have Skin Too” couple navigate the minefield that comes with sharing the moisturization of new Fiji with Coconut Oil Hand & Body Lotion during cohabitation. Long said she had a hard time keeping a straight face while Cole and Dennis were performing their roles.
“I couldn’t stop laughing and I’m off-camera,” Long revealed. So, I’m off-camera while they’re doing their thing. And then, the camera turns around on me and my coverage was easy because I had seen their jokes, but being off-camera watching their jokes and trying to deliver my lines in a straight way was not easy. I couldn’t look at them. I told Deon, I was like, ‘I can’t look at you right now. I’m so sorry.’ Because his face with the tear and just the emotion and they have the best chemistry. They really do.”
After having a great experience doing her first commercial, Long would love to appear in more in the foreseeable future. “I mean, why not? You know what I love about a good commercial, you go in and you work for two days and then you go home,” Long stated. “It gives me time for my family and to do other things and it’s fun. And they run these commercials like crazy. You just never know the market that you’re going… It just opens up an entirely new market for me. So I appreciate that.”
