Samuel L Jackson has returned to the North of England to star in perhaps his most iconic role to date – playing Jonathan Warburton, chairman of the UK’s largest family bakery, Bolton’s Warburtons, in the baker’s new ad.
Jackson is known for his hard-hitting roles such as assassin Jules Winfield in Quentin Tarantino’s classic Pulp Fiction or superhero-in-chief Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He’s also no stranger to the North, however. In 2015 he stopped by in Blackpool to shoot Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Blackpool had such a positive effect on its cast and crew that director Burton revealed a bizarre desire to this journalist at the time: “I really hope to one day become mayor of Blackpool,” he declared.
Jackson was also shooting in West Yorkshire more recently, when Huddersfield and Leeds stood in for Moscow and parts of the former Soviet Union for Disney+’s alien invasion entry to the Marvel canon, Secret Invasion, last year.
Perhaps no previous role has prepared him for the “furious anger” he feels in the Warburtons ad, however, when ‘Steve’ gets “up in my socials” to say: “I love your Toastie loaf, but I’ve seen other Toastie loaves in the shops that look exactly the same. What gives?!”
Warburton, aka Jackson, then embarks on a rage-fuelled rampage which includes smashing his laptop, kicking his way through doors, throwing Steve’s parents’ (non-Warburtons) toast in the street and screaming in the middle of a field of wheat.
We also see a set of portraits see the actor portraying other ‘members of his family’ through the generations – all portrayed by Jackson in period costume, or a baker’s outfit.
Finally, Jackson comes face-face with the real Warburtons chairman, Jonathan, as they clink their cups of tea over a successful ad.
Jackson may be no stranger to the North, but Warburtons is also no stranger to Hollywood A-listers. Previous campaigns have featured Sylvester Stallone as a ‘tough, uncompromising delivery driver, commanding a crack squad of bakers hellbent on delivering the very best,’ George Clooney unsuccesfully pitching an idea to Warburton, Robert De Niro channelling the spirit of Goodfellas into his bagels, and even an appearance from The muppets.
Jackson said: “It was a pleasure to meet the man at the helm of Britain’s biggest family bakery. And what an honour to follow in the footsteps of Bolton alumni, George Clooney and Robert DeNiro. We had a lot of fun on set so I hope people enjoy the finished product – the ad and Toastie Loaf!”
Jonathan Warburton (the real one) added: “Samuel L Jackson was a pleasure to work with and is welcome back at our bakeries any day. Not many people can be that commanding and so charming at the same time, and I love his hilarious take on why our Toastie loaf is the real deal.
“Quality will always be at the core of our fifth-generation family run business, and our new ad highlights this commitment to freshness and quality in all that we bake.
“Inviting the big-screen hero of Samuel L Jackson into the business was a uniquely memorable experience, and we hope to bring some light-hearted humour to viewers at home – while reminding the nation that our Toastie truly offers our customers the best of the best.”
The new advert will go live on social media on Thursday and will premiere on ITV 1 on Friday evening. It was directed by Declan Lowney through Merman and created by Joyful & Triumphant and Freud Communications.
