Armchair Commentary: Top 5 Movie-Star Gap Commercials

Top 5 Movie-Star Gap Commercials

by Ellen Kim on May 12, 2008

There are probably more Hollywood faces in Gap commercials than any other brand in the U.S. (American Express makes a late-run second), but what I've always found fascinating is that Gap tends to cast just-short-of-A-list faces often, often in non-speaking roles, and without endorsement or title card. The most famous major celebrity face Gap had was Sarah Jessica Parker's a few years ago, and then the failed Super Bowl ad with Madonna and Missy Elliott singing some mix of "Holiday" and "Hollywood" and ending with yoga poses.

No, these ads have always been more successful as 30-second pieces of cotton candy, where if you're not really looking, you may not always realize the pretty people in the commercial are actual celebrities... sorta. (If you go back and YouTube the "Mellow Yellow" and "Love Train" Gap commercials, you'll even spot a pre-Office Rashida Jones).

Some of my favorites:

Shannyn Sossamon showing off her past life as a deejay during the "My First Love" campaign

I blogged on this once before, but I still love Claire Danes & Patrick Wilson's merry Broadway dance-off, directed by Little Miss Sunshine's Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton

Kate Beckinsale and Orlando Bloom as a gorgeous couple in love, chased down the street by... fans? People jealous of their gorgeousness? Directed by Cameron Crowe

Scarlett Johansson, Ashton Kutcher, Zooey Deschanel, and Jay Hernandez having a friendly bicycle race, hair flowing in the breeze, directed by Roman Coppola