He made headlines last year as an out-of-control motormouth whose destructive antics got him killed off by his own hit TV show, Two and a Half Men, so it’s rather fitting that Charlie Sheen is now starring in a car commercial that takes full advantage of his reputation.
Fiat is keen to peg the new 500 Abarth hatchback as the bad boy of its showroom lineup, and it couldn’t have found a better pitchman than Sheen. The actor, in the midst of his widely publicized frenzy, once exclaimed, “I only have one speed: go.” It’s a message that Fiat has taken to heart in the ad, which shows the compact Abarth speeding perilously around an opulent mansion during a swank party filled with beautiful women, or “goddesses,” in Sheen-speak.
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Despite the burning rubber and echoing screeches, the guests seem unfazed – indeed, they cheer on the driver who’s seemingly disrupting their party. And at the end, Sheen steps out to a round of applause, location-monitoring bracelet visibly on his ankle and a gorgeous woman by his side. “I love being under house arrest,” Sheen says with a wicked grin, before asking his goddess, “What do I get for good behavior?”
For all of Sheen’s very public self-immolation, Fiat is guessing that most viewers are willing to turn the other cheek and actually give him a pat on the back.
The head of Fiat’s branding confirms that the former Two and a Half Men star is exactly who they want to be representing the car. “Charlie Sheen personifies the edgy and fun attributes of the Fiat 500 Abarth,” Olivier Francois said in a statement. And the vehicle’s slogan supports that message: “Not all bad boys are created equal,” the ad concludes.