Theron likely has plenty of apparel and fragrance deals in the works. But a smart car industry expert would immediately find out what kind of car Theron drives (if she drives) and persuade her with a healthy financial deal to tout the car — let’s say while she’s driving along Highway 1 on the Carmel, California, coastline.
The sexiest woman alive promoting a car? Watch the sales spike make assembly plant lines reach critical mass.
Now, Jill Wagner may not be as well-known as Theron, but she’s certainly a pretty actress, too. And her appearance beginning in 2005 in Mercury commercials certainly hasn’t hurt.
Who’s Jill Wagner?
You know her. She wears stilettos, has a long strong stride, wears an azure sweater that matches her eyes, and talks with authority and enthusiasm from behind the wheel or while standing in front of a Mercury.
However, Wagner’s appearance in the Mercury commercials — the result of a typical casting call — raised her profile significantly. And it helped sell cars.
“I wanted to come off as an All-American girl who wants to give you advice about a car,” Wagner told the Detroit Free-Press about her Mercury commercials. “I wanted to be very real.”
Seems Theron’s pretty real, too.
So, OK, GM, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota. Someone have their people get in touch with Theron’s people — like now.
Article Last Updated: March 27, 2026.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.