Suzu Hirose and Tomohisa Yamashita become "Chocolate Mint Party"!? New McCafé commercial "Too Happy! Chocolate Mint" is completed

■ “There was a line that said, ‘I missed you!’ so it felt like we were in a concert (laughs).” (Yamashita Tomohisa)

The new McDonald’s “McCafe” TV commercial “Too Happy! Chocolate Mint” (15 seconds/30 seconds) starring Hirose Suzu and Yamashita Tomohisa will begin airing on July 2nd.

In a new TV commercial promoting the appeal of the new product “OREO(R) Cookie Chocolate Mint Frappe,” which will be available for a limited time from July 3rd, the famous duo Suzu Hirose and Tomohisa Yamashita, who serve as ambassadors for McCafé, appear again.

Hirose and Yamashita, who are both huge fans of the refreshing and cute chocolate mint, appeared on stage, packed with people, and gave their all to promote the appeal of the OREO(R) Cookie Chocolate Mint Frappe to the passionate chocolate mint fans who make up the “Chocolate Mint Party.”

Keep an eye out for Hirose, who appeals to the deliciousness of the food with a big smile, and Yamashita’s passionate performance, who gets the crowd excited by shouting, “I love you!”

There will also be an X-Campaign in which 100 people will be chosen by lottery to win a 1,000 yen McDonald’s card. For more details, see the McDonald’s website.

■ Filming episodes
◇Hirose and Yamashita appeared in refreshing mint-colored outfits
Hirose and Yamashita, who are appearing together again following the commercials for “Peach Smoothie” and “Peach Yogurt Frappe,” both appeared in mint-colored suits reminiscent of the OREO(R) Cookie Chocolate Mint Frappe, exchanged greetings with refreshing smiles, and then held a meeting with the director.

After being explained about the unique production, which calls out to “chocolate mint fans” as “everyone who loves chocolate mint”, Hirose and Yamashita chuckled as they checked out the test footage. Standing by in front of the camera, Yamashita spoke to the extra actors in a friendly manner, saying, “What time did you come today? I’m sorry I woke up later than you…”, livening up the atmosphere on set.

◇Does the Oreo(R) Cookie Chocolate Mint Frappe taste special after yelling out loud?
The shoot started with a scene where Hirose called out to the “Chocolate Mint Party” fans who had gathered in front of the mint-colored stage. Since there were many scenes where she had to shout loudly first thing in the morning, when it came to eating the cool, refreshingly scented OREO(R) Cookie Chocolate Mint Frappe, Hirose had a happy look on her face as she said “Mmm, it’s delicious” to quench her thirst after a hard day’s work.

In a scene where she stood on a large platform that had been added to the top of the stage and performed at a higher position, she said with a wry smile, “It’s so high! It’s more than I imagined (lol)!”, but she also shouted with great energy, “Chocolate mint is coming to McDonald’s!”, and delivered an even more energetic performance.

◇ “I love you!” Yamashita’s shout creates a concert-like excitement
“Please imagine that you are addressing a crowd of people as far as the eye can see,” he said.
After receiving instructions from the director, Yamashita excited the audience with a wild move of tilting the microphone stand, delivering a performance that was just like a concert.

The extras were also excited by Yamashita’s passionate performance, and could be seen laughing and looking at each other, saying, “It’s like a live stage (laughs).” Among the several acting patterns that Yamashita showed, the scene where he shouted the line “I love you!” in a loud voice brought the excitement in the studio to a climax, and the take was successfully approved.

◇Yamashita was surprised by the innovative taste of dipping fries into a frappe
As the “eating cut” filming began, Yamashita was instructed to hold an Oreo(R) Cookie Chocolate Mint Frappe and French Fries(R) in one hand. While standing by, he asked, “How should I eat these?”

When the director explained, “Please dip as much of the fries as you like into the whipped cream and chocolate sauce,” Yamashita immediately put it into practice. Yamashita closed his eyes and thoroughly enjoyed the sweet-salty taste of the mix of the saltiness of the fries and the sweetness of the chocolate and fresh cream. He took multiple takes while searching for the best performance, and enjoyed filming the eating scene, saying, “It might be interesting to make a commercial by collecting only the NG scenes (lol).”

◇ Hirose is “good at drinking.” She confesses that she “practices” during breaks
In the scene where she holds an OREO(R) Cookie Chocolate Mint Frappe in her hand and shows various expressions and poses for the camera, Hirose smoothly progressed with filming by perfectly acting just as ordered by the director, including cute expressions and a cheerful smile.

In the scene where she drinks a frappe, she once again showed off perfect action, from holding the cup to timing her sucking on the straw, and the director praised her highly, saying, “Your drinking is great!” Hirose has been appearing in commercials since the Frappes first appeared in McDonald’s stores nationwide a year ago, so it’s not surprising that she’s used to it, but she shyly revealed that she had been “practicing” during her breaks, saying, “Actually, I was drinking some at lunchtime too (laughs).”

■Interview with Susu Hirose and Tomohisa Yamashita
Q: What are your thoughts after finishing filming the new TV commercial?
Hirose:It felt like I was on stage (laughs).
Yamashita:The other performers gathered and we were on stage, but I really felt like I was on stage and had a lot of fun filming. There was a line that said, “I missed you!”, so I felt like I was at a concert (laughs).
Hirose:It was an energetic shoot, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the finished product turns out.

Q: What were your impressions of the new OREO(R) Cookie Chocolate Mint Frappe?
Yamashita: The chocolate mint flavor is new, but it also had a bit of nostalgia to it, reminding me of childhood…it was so refreshing and delicious that it brought to mind summer scenes.
Hirose:Many of the frappes I’ve had up until now have been sweet or have a nostalgic feel to them, but the refreshing taste of the OREO(R) Cookie Chocolate Mint Frappe was something new and delicious.

Q: The line “I’m so happy” in the commercial made a big impression on me. Can you tell us about an episode recently when you felt “happy”?
Yamashita:For me, it’s the time I spend in the cold bath (laughs). When I go to the sauna, the time I spend in the cold bath is the happiest time of my day. I stay in the bath for about three minutes. It kind of wakes me up.
Hirose:I’m the type of person who is like, “Wow!” within 30 seconds (laughs).
Yamashita:At first I thought it was so cold, but I gradually got used to it…I actually feel happy when I spend time in the cold bath.
Hirose:I really value sleep and I love sleeping… Recently, I was able to sleep for more than 12 hours for two days in a row, and I woke up feeling refreshed and had a good night’s sleep, plus I was able to sleep for a sufficient amount of time, so I was really happy. I’m so happy (laughs).
Yamashita:I also have a desire to sleep. However, I’ve been a bit busy lately and haven’t been able to sleep much, but I think of it as “morning activities” and I’m trying to take it in as a positive thing (laughs).

Q: The commercial starts with a scene calling out to “Chocomint lovers!” But what party do Hirose and Yamashita like?
Yamashita:I’m a traveller. I quite like it. When I have time off, I make it a point to go to different places. There are many places in Japan that I haven’t been to, both at home and abroad, so I often travel to those places. I’ve never been to Aomori, so I’d like to see the Nebuta Festival there.
Hirose:I guess you could say I’m a “fashionista”… I love clothes and fashion, so even when I go to a work site, I feel like “I want to look stylish at least once,” and no matter how early in the morning I’ll think about how to coordinate my outfit. That makes me feel satisfied or fulfilled for the day, and if I’m wearing sweats, I’ll think about sweats again… I’m the type of person who does things like that. It makes me feel good in the morning (laughs).

Q: In the commercial, you describe the frappe that’s celebrating its first anniversary as “simply cute.” What is something that you’re currently loving and finding “simply cute”?
Yamashita:I have a dog at home, so I think dogs are cute, unconditionally (laughs). Lately, dogs might be the only animal I can feel “cute” about. I don’t really think of things like “Bears are cute” (laughs). And babies. When a friend has a baby, it’s so cute, but if I had to compare it to something close to me, it would be a dog.
Hirose:I have a cat, and I think it’s cute, or should I say, I treasure it, so I’m very attached to it (laughs).
Yamashita:There are also cats. They are cute too (laughs).
Hirose:He has his own way of doing things and is really cat-like, but he also has some dog-like traits that make him friendly to people; when you open the front door, he comes running, when you call his name, he meows, and when you say “come here,” he always comes running. He’s almost like a dog (laughs). He has both traits and sleeps with me all the time, so when I leave him at my parents’ house sometimes, I suddenly feel lonely and think, “It’s so cold at home.”

Q: Please give a message to viewers who will watch the new TV commercial.
Hirose:Frappes are now available to enjoy at McDonald’s restaurants across the country, and as they celebrate their first anniversary, they’re only going to get better!
Yamashita:To celebrate the first anniversary, OREO(R) Cookie Chocolate Mint Frappe will be released, featuring a refreshing and gorgeous chocolate mint flavor.
Hirose:So refreshing! So cute!
Yamashita:Come join us at McDonald’s! Come enjoy McDonald’s Frappes, celebrating their first anniversary, at any McDonald’s restaurant!