Apple Taps Ted Lasso Star Nick Mohammed for Ad Touting iPhone Privacy Features

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Apple recruited Nick Mohammed — one of the stars of “Ted Lasso,” Apple TV+’s biggest show — for a short film (i.e., a commercial) extolling the built-in privacy features of the iPhone.

The running joke in the short, “A Day in the Life of an Average Person’s Data,” is that Mohammed wants to be recognized as a Hollywood celeb… but he also wants to keep his personal info private. (Watch the full spot below.)

“Whoa! Wow! Sorry, what do you mean ‘average’?” Mohammed says indignantly after the Apple specialist featured in the short announces the film’s title, after the guy ostensibly pops up in the actor’s London flat. “Well, um, join me, Nick Mohammed, as he embarks on a very ‘average’ day, going to a really ‘average’ film set, to do some very ‘average’ filming.” At the end of the short, he’s finally recognized at a restaurant, whereupon he looks into the camera and mock laments: “I can’t go anywhere these days.”

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The nearly six-minute short film features an original score by composer Tom Howe (who also scores “Ted Lasso”) and is directed by Jonathan Krisel (co-creator “Portlandia”). The Apple tech in the ad who serves as Mohammed’s privacy sherpa is an actual company employee who works at the Apple Tower Theatre store in downtown Los Angeles.

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The film is divided into five chapters showcasing Apple privacy features: Mail Privacy Protection, Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention, App Tracking Transparency, Apple Wallet and Apple Pay. Along the way, Mohammed learns how each of these features helps protect his data from unwanted tracking and spying.

The ad is part of Apple’s marketing push behind its privacy features. Beginning Saturday, Jan. 28 (which is recognized as Data Privacy Day), a new, free 30-minute session called “Taking Charge of Your Privacy on iPhone” will be available at all Apple Store locations worldwide.

Apple TV+ last week announced that Season 3 of “Ted Lasso” will premiere in the spring of 2023 — and teased a looming showdown that will come to a head between Ted (Jason Sudeikis) and Nathan (Mohammed), after the latter joined a rival football club.

Watch the new Apple privacy ad featuring Mohammed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HWUjMjaBJI

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