For the most part, advertisements are quite forgettable as many don’t feel the need to put enough effort into them. However, recently companies are coming up with ads that tend to stick with the user, including the one ad Jean-Claude Van Damme did for Volvo Trucks.
Released in 2013, the ad for Volvo Trucks witnessed Jean-Claude Van Damme perform the world’s most insane split between two moving trucks. Rightly called “The Epic Split,” the advertisement became a fan favorite in no time. Despite the fact that it has been a decade since the ad was released, fans are still going back to witness the awesomeness. Owing to this, the ad today boasts over a hundred million views on the platform and 990K likes.
Fans Can’t Stop Watching Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Volvo Ad
The ad starts off with Jean-Claude Van Damme speaking about the “bumpy roads” he has endured in his life. He then goes on to say how the ups and downs of his life have led to a “body crafted to perfection.” Soon after, the camera pans out and you can see Van Damme standing between two running Volvo trucks with his feet on the side mirrors of each of the trucks.
The trucks drift apart as Van Damme performs the most “Epic Split” the world has seen. Enya’s Only Time playing in the background contributes to the goosebumps viewers get.
It has been ten years since Van Damme pulled this stunt off and fans still cannot get over it. Today, the commercial has over $116 million views on the video-streaming platform alone. Along with this, the video boasts a total of 990K likes. The comment section is full of fans stating how they keep coming back to this masterpiece, year after year.
The commercial has also won a couple of awards for its brilliance, including the Best in Show Award from The One Club, a non-profit organization that rewards excellence in advertising. Thanks to the ad, Only Time once again returned to the Billboard Top 100 list years after its release.
Jean-Claude Van Damme Talks about the Commercial
After fans finished watching the advertisement, a lot of questions might be going on in their minds. How did they pull the stunt off? How many takes did it require? What did Van-Damme think about it all? Well, to answer the last question, here’s what the actor stated before filming the stunt:
“It’s going to be quite unusual and the first time we’ll ever see anything like it – in a movie or a commercial. Before doing the split between the trucks, I saw the storyboard and thought it looked amazing. It’s very majestic and very powerful.”
The PR manager for Volvo Trucks stated that the stunt was shot in a single take and that “any real danger” was never involved. The Wall Street Journal reports that Van Damme was hooked to safety lines which were obviously invisible onscreen. Video director Andreas Nilsson joked that they didn’t “Want to be responsible for killing the Muscles from Brussels.” It took the team just three days to rehearse for the final shot.
Source: YouTube
