When you’ve been blessed withPatti LaBelle’s talent, you can doanything. And now, the 77-year-old music icon appears in her first-ever Old Spice commercial.
In the spot, LaBelle stars alongsideblack-ishactor Deon Cole andA Black Lady Sketch Show’s Gabrielle Dennis, who both return as part of the brand’s “Men Have Skin Too” campaign that launched in 2019 and focuses on men’s desire for efficacious body care.
For her cameo, LaBelle plays a “bad mother-in-law” who steals Cole’sMoisturize with Shea Butter body wash, she says. The gig had LaBelle filled with excitement as she spoke to PEOPLE exclusively from the set.
Courtesy of Old Spice
“Back in the day, my father wore Old Spice, so, I would make sure he had [it] for a Christmas gift or birthday. And, you know, my son wears it and people in my life wear it,” she shares, adding, “It’s one of those fragrances that never leaves the room [but] never overwhelms, which is good.”
When it comes to her own skin and body care, LaBelle says she keeps her routine “basic.”
“People ask, ‘Why are you so youthful looking?’ I get a lot of compliments on my skin. I use Vaseline to take off the makeup. And then I put on La Mer cream. I’ve been doing it for ever. And now it’s going to be Old Spice [too].”
While LaBelle is thrilled to be back at work, she’s heeding the lessons she learned over the last year.
Throughout the pandemic LaBelle has kept herself in performance-ready shape — and for her that included wearing her impressive collection of high heels around the house because, she explains, “When you don’t wear them for 15 months and you put that sucker on something’s going to hurt. So, I’ve been practicing!”
Courtesy Old Spice
The prep came in handy for LaBelle, who performed during alive-streamed Verzuz battlealongside dear friendGladys Knightin September. Although the singer kicked off her Christian Louboutin shoes during the webcast, she says it was all in good fun.
“It was like having a concert, and I usually do [that] on stage anyway. And I had fun singing with Gladys. I mean, Gladys and I are so close, we’re like sisters. So, we had wonderful, wonderful moments when we did Verzuz.”
LaBelle has also relished in the time she’s been able to spend with family recently, especially during her birthday celebration in May which included a visit from an ice cream truck.
“It was just beautiful, the ice cream truck, the kids, everything. Family makes my life. I have two grand babies now, and they make me so happy because they do so many cute things.”
With this commercial out, LaBelle is looking forward to more projects, from an anniversary edition ofLaBelle Cuisinetoreleasing new foods. “I’ve been just been doing things like that and trying to make people happy here. That’s my life, to make someone happy,” she says.
What else is on her plate? More singing of course.
“I’m looking forward to just pleasing my fans and letting them tell me what they want to hear from me. Anything that people want from me, I’m willing to give.”
In the mean time, catch LaBelle nail her role. Says Matt Krehbiel, Old Spice vice president at Procter & Gamble, “Patti LaBelle is such an iconic entertainer, and she nailed the mother-in-law role perfectly. We’re honored to have her in the Old Spice family.”
source: people.com
