Celebrating the Joy of Being Alive with Jeff Bridges
In an effort to address covid-19 and up immunity levels in the US, AstraZeneca released a spot starring American actor Jeff Bridges. In it, Jeff shares what he’s missed about life while he was ‘away’ battling cancer and makes a heartfelt case for ‘being alive’.
In this interview, Caviar producer Brian Etting and Edelman EP Aldo Gagliardi chat to LBB about the exciting collaboration, their creative inspiration and personal highlights from the project.
LBB> The AstraZeneca campaign addresses covid-19 and upping immunity - how did you go about addressing such a sensitive subject matter that tends to divide audiences?
Aldo> We were very careful about the messaging for this campaign. We did not want to alienate people. Ultimately, it’s a personal message from Jeff Bridges to the immunocompromised community.
LBB> The spot features American actor Jeff Bridges. Tell us about the casting process and initial inspiration for this spot.
Aldo> We considered a shortlist of high profile celebrities, but Jeff quickly rose to the top given his recent struggle with cancer, chemo and covid, as well as being an American icon. We explored many ideas, but we actually collaborated with Jeff and our director, Scott Cooper, on the final script that ended up on the screen.
LBB> What was your creative inspiration behind the shoot and what production challenges came up?
Aldo> Jeff had this idea of “getting back” to doing the things he loved. That really resonated with us, so we used it as our springboard for the spot. He also wanted to shoot in Santa Barbara, which ultimately led us to our location at the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens.
Brian> Production challenges were really to find the perfect location in Santa Barbara close to where Jeff lives that was not only accessible for a large crew and equipment, but afforded a few different looks for the vision Scott Cooper was trying to execute. He really wanted scope and cinematic imagery to set the scenes, locations that were lush and green despite the drought, and areas where we could control light or fly a drone. We scouted multiple locations until we landed on the perfect spot.
LBB> What was it like collaborating with Jeff Bridges for this spot?
Brian> It was an absolute joy. He was very involved in every stage of the process from the script and approving locations to consulting on storyboards and music. He even showed up to the tech scout and wanted to understand where each moment was meant to be staged. He has such a warmth, presence and curiosity. The consummate professional.
Aldo> Working with Jeff was an absolute dream. From Zoom calls early on, through our two production days, every time he appeared, we had to just pinch ourselves. He has that aura of an iconic Hollywood movie star, without the ego. One thing that was humbling to observe was that he made it a point to remember the names of the crew members, including our PA’s. He is a class act.
LBB> What are you most proud of from this project?
Brian> My collaboration with Scott. It was very creative and fluid. I admired his process and aesthetic. It was also great to work with our DP Masa and 1st AD Bob Wagner who’s a good friend.
Aldo> I am proud that we actually got it done. This project started 10 months ago and was initially halted because of the rising cases, due to the Omicron variant. Then, we had to pause again because Jeff was finishing his show, The Old Man. But once we picked it back up in the spring, it was all hands on deck through the finish line. Collaborating with director Scott Cooper, music legend T Bone Burnett and Academy award winning actor Jeff Bridges, for three months was a dream come true.
LBB> What was your reaction to the finished piece?
Aldo> My reaction is the same as so many others, it’s a beautiful commercial that doesn’t feel like your typical pharma spot. It has a soul and it’s truly cinematic. And it’s very touching.
Brian> It was very much a tone poem. Visual, lyrical, understated. I’d honestly watch Jeff Bridges in anything. So damn likeable.
LBB> Any other creative insights you’d like to share?
Brian> I learned a lot about poison oak.
Aldo> Everything we set out to do with this campaign, we accomplished and that is extremely gratifying.
