Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt, who has twice won the honor of being People's Sexiest Man Alive, has long been a billboard fixture for global brands. In 2002, Pitt found himself in a bizarre situation when an advertisement he did for Toyota created a stir in Malaysia. The ad in question was for one of the automobile company's most popular vehicles, reported The Guardian. The campaign did not go over well with authorities in the Southeast Asian country. As Deputy Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said, they "canceled the ads because they were considered an insult to Asians."
The ad appeared to be wildly popular among the general population in Malaysia, with fans reportedly ripping down the ad posters and taking them home (via People). Maidin, meanwhile, questioned the use of Western faces in ads for Asia. "Aren't our own people handsome enough?" he asked.
Malaysia isn't the only Asian country to have turned hostile against Pitt. Per CBS News, China reportedly banned Pitt following the release of his 1997 film "Seven Years in Tibet," which touched on the contentious history between China and Tibet.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEpaCsrF6YvK57mG1ocG1kZMSprdNmsKitXaOyt7HRZqKnnadirqO71K1km6qRmXqxtdOtZg%3D%3D