Washington, United States | AFP | Saturday 12/8/2019 – 02:30 UTC+8

Actor Ryan Reynolds is winning hearts and praise with a cheeky new holiday ad for his Aviation Gin brand.

The commercial opens on a woman staring straight ahead, her eyes blank. Two concerned friends sit on either side.

As her friends assure her that she’s “safe here,” the unnamed woman seems to break free of her stupor. The three toast to “new beginnings” before she begins chugging her drink, a martini made with Aviation Gin.

“You look great, by the way,” one friend comments as the camera fades out.

While the ad may seem confusing, the central actress is instantly recognizable to US viewers as the woman in a spectacularly unsuccessful ad for Peloton stationary bikes.

In that ad, released in mid-November, she plays a young mother whose husband gives her a Peloton for Christmas.

After documenting her transformation over the course of the commercial, she emotionally thanks her husband for the bike.

Outraged Internet users said the woman looked like a terrified hostage and called out Peloton for seemingly encouraging body-shaming.

Peloton lost nearly $1 billion of value in a day, Bloomberg reported, as its stock dropped as much as 10 percent.

When Reynolds released his gin ad Friday night, it came with a mischievous caption: “Exercise bike not included.”

The video instantly went viral.

“Whichever of your marketing people (thought) of this deserves a raise,” one person tweeted.

“Quite possibly the greatest response to a messed up commercial EVER!” another replied.

This is not the first time Reynolds has capitalized on a viral internet moment for his gin marketing.

In June, the actor released an Aviation Gin ad spoofing the infamously failed Fyre music festival.

to/jm

Cover image: Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images/AFP