Jussie Smollett Talks Swizz Beatz Collab for ‘Empire’ Pepsi Commercial
Following the footsteps of emerging artists and icons like Michael Jackson and Beyonce, Pepsi has chosen the ‘Empire’ actor to be the face of their newest campaign. (Vibe)
Jussie Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyon on salacious primetime hip hop drama Empire, says Swizz Beatz was his first choice to produce his new Pepsi commercial that will air on the series.
“Lee was asking me, who should do the song, and I was like, ‘Absolutely Swizz,’ and he agreed,” Smollett tells Yahoo Music, recalling a conversation with Empire director Lee Daniels.
Smollett immediately fell in love with the song he describes as “sexy and sultry and soulful,” adding that it “goes world on you, you feel like you are smack dab in the middle of Africa.” The song appears on Empire: Music From My Bad Parts – EP, released on Nov. 18.
The Pepsi storyline unfolds over the course of three episodes. A part of the story is about how the Lyon family reacts to Jamal becoming a spokesperson of Pepsi. While the show is full of infighting between Jamal and his two brothers and their parents, this Pepsi commercial bring harmony.
“This is something that brings Cookie and Lucious together,” Smollett says about his TV parents, played by Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard. “It is a blessing in disguise because it forces Cookie and Lucious to look each other in the eyes and say, ‘You know we’re going to put the other stuff aside because we are business people.’”
Even cooler for Smollett is the concept of the commercial that captures him as his character and real life persona. “I’m driving around with my driver in a very guarded situation and sometimes that makes me feel like I can’t even breathe,” he says, describing the commercial. “This is what I do, I break free,” he adds. “I get out, I get on the subway and get my life.”
Daniels punked Smollett when telling him the news that he landed the commercial. “When Lee Daniels and Ilene Chaiken brought me into his office, he was being very weird,” Smollett remembers. “I was like, ‘Am I being fired?’ They were sitting there, they really dragged it along to make me think something was happening. Lee said, ‘You’re not being fired dumbass. You’re about to be the new face of Pepsi.’ … I flipped and FaceTimed my mother.”
