Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, known as "Rikuryu," who won the gold medal in the pair figure skating event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, will appear in a new McDonald's commercial titled "Big Mac: 'Then and Now, When We Think of Summer'," which will air nationwide starting June 30th.
During the filming of the "eating scene" that they had been looking forward to, the two smiled and exclaimed, "We can actually eat this?!" As Kihara prepared himself mentally, wondering, "How should I hold this?", Miura mimicked the stance of someone holding a baseball, saying, "Like this? (laughs)," and their playful communication during even short breaks lightened the atmosphere on set.
After filming was finished, when asked, "Do you consciously try to be in sync with each other even when you're not competing or practicing in skating?", Miura casually replied, "It just happens naturally... I think we're probably thinking the same things (laughs)." Kihara nodded in agreement, surprising the staff around them.
During filming scenes of walking along the riverbank and enjoying a meal, they always seemed to be having fun and chatting lively. After finishing a scene of eating a Big Mac, they looked at each other and laughed, saying, "This is the first time in my life I've eaten so many Big Macs (laughs)."
As the third installment in a series of commercials symbolizing the "ultimate combination" of Big Mac and Coca-Cola, the commercial blends live-action footage with iconic scenes from Summer Wars's animated films "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time," "Summer Wars," and "Wolf Children," depicting quintessential Japanese landscapes and moments of youth. Hikaru Morita of the idol group "Sakurazaka46" also appears in the commercial.
