Charlie Sheen Stars As Himself Again

Charlie Sheen‘s naughty boy image is pushing him to the top of the popularity charts again. He is slowly but surely, regaining his lost image, through ads centered on his persona.

Advertising is primarily responsible for his rebirth. His roles in the earlier two ads for Fiat and DirecTV were widely acclaimed and his self-depreciating humor, showed that behind his ill-disciplined and wayward ways, was a person willing to change, a person not afraid to laugh at himself, a person willing to proclaim to the world that he is no Mr. Perfect.

His third ad, a global commercial for Bavarian Beer, from the Amsterdam agency Selmore continues in the same vein as the first two ads and will surely re-enforce his image as hard not-too-like-guy.

The ad opens with Charlie Sheen leaving a rehab-clinic. “We don’t want to see you back here again, Charlie,” says a white-coated doctor. “Don’t worry,” Sheen answers. “Let’s not have a drink sometime.” But as he leaves the rehab grounds, he is confronted by images of people from all strata of society, policemen, construction workers, pregnant women are all gulping down bottles of beer, just the type of people who should not be drinking.

Nervous and restless, he eventually drives home and there to welcome him are dozens of friends, all of whom are drinking. He mutters an expletive, dazed and livid, he runs back inside the house. His friends however, cajole him out and expose the facade that the beer everyone is drinking is, Bavaria Lemon, and it contains 0 percent alcohol.

As in his earlier ads, Sheen is the human punch line in this commercial as well. But he seems to accept it and does it in a very good natured way, endearing him to all. Sheen’s charisma is unmistakable, and shows how he had risen to become one of the highest paid television stars of all time, before he self-destructed.

Bavaria consistently uses celebrities for their ads and Charlie joins the ranks of such colorful celebrities as Hugh Hefner, Marco Van Basten, Diego Maradona, Joan Collins and Mickey Rourke. Given that this is the third ad featuring him, the fourth may not be too far off, but with a slowly changing image, this time he may not have to play himself.