The Cameron Diaz Coca-Cola Ad You Probably Never Knew Existed

Cameron Diaz's entry scene in her film debut was unforgettable for many. When she walked into the bank wearing her tight red dress and swooshed her hair around in slow motion, she left audience members wondering, "Who. Is. That?" She had the same effect on the two male bank employees in the scene, played by Jim Carrey and Richard Jeni, as their jaws dropped. The film, of course, was "The Mask" – a 1994 neo-noir comedy classic.

It was actually Diaz's first film. Hard to believe she was only 21 at the time. We Got This Covered claims that Diaz turned 21 during filming. Variety ranked her role in the flick among her top five movie performances, along with "Charlie's Angels," "Vanilla Sky," and "There's Something About Mary." She also ventured into the wine industry by launching her alcohol brand in 2020. But there's something else about Diaz that you probably don't know, especially if you were born in the '90s.

Before she danced with the yellow-suit-wearing, green-faced Jim Carrey at the Coco Bongo, she was running up a lighthouse in a commercial ... for a bottle of Coca-Cola.

Part of the "Real Thing" campaign, the commercial aired in 1992, when Diaz was around 19 years old. The full ad begins with close shots of a lighthouse beacon at night with a Coca-Cola bottle in front of it, which causes the logo to be cast on everything the light shines on. 

Cameron Diaz is shown showering wearing a swimsuit in a beach house. When she notices the light, she starts heading toward the lighthouse. As she makes her way to the top of the staircase, she's met by an eager lightkeeper, who her a bottle of Coca-Cola and says, "I see you got my message." Diaz takes a sip, looks down at the line of traffic headed their way and says, "I see I'm not the only one."

NostalgiaVision shared the commercial on YouTube in 2010. In the comments, a man revealed that he was the creative director for the ad and that it was her first acting role on TV. He also commented that it was filmed in Sydney, Australia, on a movie set and that it was intended to be "seductive and hot." Mission accomplished.