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Bruce Willis to front Russian bank ad campaign
Cast member Bruce Willis gestures while being interviewed at a special screening of the movie ''Red'' at the Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California October 11, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni
MOSCOW | Tue Nov 23, 2010 10:28am EST
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The tough guy image of Hollywood actor Bruce Willis will be used in a new campaign for a mid-sized Russian bank, the lender has said. Trust bank, a top-30 lender by assets, hung pictures of the "Die Hard" star on the streets of Moscow on Monday with the phrase "Trust is just like me, but a bank."
The "Die Hard" star replaces Trust's previous frontman, Russian weight-lifter Vladimir Turchinsky, who unexpectantly dropped dead last year at age 46. Trust said Willis's character reflects the bank's values in terms of "trust and dignity." Willis, 55, who plays an old-school CIA agent in his latest movie "RED," will front the campaign for at least a year, Trust said in a statement.
"The Moscow call immediately raised their (Willis's agents) interest," Dmitry Chukseyev, who was involved in negotiations with the star's agents and serves as Trust's vice-president for communications, told Reuters by telephone. The bank did not give details on the cost of the deal with Willis, who also occasionally performs as a blues singer.
(Reporting by Oksana Kobzeva and Katya Golubkova; writing by Katya Golubkova, Editing by Paul Casciato)
