By Oliver Farrimond
A CHINESE company has hijacked the image of Bond legend Sir Sean Connery to sell sex drugs.
Sir Sean unwittingly stars in an advert for Viagra-style drug ‘USA Selikon’ which has been broadcast on TV stations all over China.
Crafty advertising execs dubbed Chinese over old interview footage and film clips of Connery, making him appear to say that the drug has worked wonders for him and his wife “Barbara”.
He says: “I turned 70 this year. But with the help of USA Selikon capsules, I was praised by Barbara that I’m still James Bond, forever 25.
“I have told all my aged friends ‘You should try USA Selikon capsules.'”
Sir Sean – who is actually 78 years old and married to artist Micheline Roquebrune – is a popular figure in the Far East and has been a familiar face in Japanese adverts for decades.
Most famously, he is the face of the “Suntory Time” whiskey adverts spoofed in the movie Lost In Translation.
AC Milan star David Beckham also features in the campaign, saying that Selikon USA helps him perform both on and off the football pitch.
He says: “Want to know how I can keep being strong and running on the football field? USA Selikon capsules help me a lot.
“It’s also the secret weapon with which I can satisfy Victoria.”
While Beckham is said to be furious about the advertisements, both he and Sir Sean are unlikely to take legal action as Chinese copyright law is notoriously complicated.
A sales manager for the drugs company told a Hong Kong newspaper on Saturday that the adverts had been approved by authorities, and broadcast to cities across China.
Online forums in China are abuzz with discussion over the adverts, with many users mocking Connery and Beckham for their apparent reliance on Chinese sex drugs.
This is not the first time Western celebrities have appeared to endorse Chinese health products.
Brazilian soccer stars Ronaldinho and Ronaldo have both discovered footage of themselves advertising computers and throat lozenges on Chinese television.
