Ridley Scott recalls his experience hiring 200 real skinheads to shoot Apple’s iconic “1984” Macintosh Super Bowl commercial. Directed by Scott, who was fresh off the dystopian sci-fi classic Blade Runner, the “1984” commercial debuted during Super Bowl XVIII and introduced Apple’s Macintosh personal computer. Inspired by George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, it portrays a dystopian world in which a crowd of uniformed, bald men passively watch a Big Brother-like figure ranting on a giant screen, until a lone runner, wearing a white tank top featuring an illustration of Apple’s new product, hurls a sledgehammer at the screen.
In an interview with GQ, Scott recounted his experience filming the ad, which he shot with 200 real skinheads as extras. Scott sought a visually striking audience locked into an oppressive gaze to juxtapose with athlete Anya Major’s vibrant, rebellious presence. The director wanted to avoid the expense of shaving a woman’s head, so the already shaven men made for cheap, easy extras. Here’s what he had to say:
Well, [Anya Major] was a great looking athlete, why not? Jesus Christ, she was good.
I like that we invented the hammer – like the hammer and sickle and all that stuff – so we’re underscoring the possibility of oppression from there. So the guy on screen, we shot him in that morning, ranting… And she destroyed this oppression.
And I had 200 skinheads there because I couldn’t afford to shave a woman’s head. So, I told the skinheads, I said, “Listen, you get breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’m going to throw this thing at the screen. I’m going to then blow you, cover [you] with talcum powder, and I want you all to go, ‘Ohhh.’” And they did. [Laughs].
What Ridley Scott’s “1984” Casting Choice Means
The Unintended Layers In Apple’s Macintosh Commercial
Scott’s decision to use skinheads in Apple’s award-winning “1984” ad introduces a striking tension within its intended message of oppression and empowerment. The dystopian sci-fi ad portrays the Macintosh as a revolutionary tool that could enable individuals to break free from control and foster creativity by granting them computing power once reserved for corporations. However, the choice to employ a group of skinheads from the National Front—a far-right, fascist political party in the U.K.—to cut production costs challenges the ad’s idealized message of individuality and liberation (via NYT).
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As Apple has evolved into a multinational giant and misinformation thrives across the hand-held Apple devices billions rely on, the Macintosh ad takes on a hauntingly ironic undertone—a cautionary tale not unlike the sci-fi masterpiece of Scott’s Blade Runner. Even Scott seems to recognize this. In the same interview with GQ, he begins his discussion of the ad by calling out the smartphone as a piece of dystopian tech:
We’re basically going to be controlled by Nineteen Eighty-Four, by a hierarchy. And I think the hierarchy is this [raises an iPhone]. This is genius, and a f**king disaster. Get your kid to go climb a tree and leave this at home, alright?
Our Take On Ridley Scott’s “1984” Revelation
The Legacy Of Apple’s “1984” Ad Just Got More Complicated
Ridley Scott’s decision to cast about 200 skinheads in Apple’s “1984” ad adds a fascinating, if controversial, layer to its legacy. What began as a cost-saving measure inadvertently introduced a subculture with its own fraught history into a narrative about freedom and empowerment. This choice amplifies the ad’s intrigue as its message has grown into a complex cultural footnote at the intersection of oppression, control, and technology.
Decades later, the commercial remains a cultural touchstone, and Scott’s unconventional decision reminds us that the line between art and reality is often far messier—and more compelling—than one ever set out to create.
Source: GQ/YouTube