B.J. Novak Has the Best Explanation for Why His Face Is on These International Products

If you think you saw B.J. Novak modeling for a cologne in Sweden, you technically were not wrong. The actor revealed how his face ended up on an array of random products around the world.

By Samantha Schnurr Oct 26, 2021 5:37 PMTags

Did you know that B.J. Novak is the face of a cologne in Sweden and paint in Uruguay? The Office alum didn't!

"Years ago, someone mistakenly put an image of me on a public domain site," he explained on his Instagram Story on Monday, Oct. 26, "and now apparently I am on products all around the world."

The actor revealed some of the many items his face is used to advertise, including a rain poncho, electric face shaver, and hair clippers, along with the aforementioned face paint and cologne. 

So why hasn't he corrected this hilarious mistake? "I am too amused to do anything about it," he said on his Story post. 

Novak isn't the only now-famous actor whose years-old photos are still kicking around. Fans have spotted Marvel star Simu Liu in ads too. Stock images he posed for in 2014—years before his starring role on Kim's Convenience as Jung Kim—continue to be used to this day for things like gym ads, storefronts and pamphlets. While Liu made just $120 for the photo shoot, the pictures have clearly had much more significant lasting power. 

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Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak Through the Years

"Moral of the story," the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings said on a past Instagram Story post, "Think twice before doing a stock photo shoot because they own the photos FOREVER."

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As of September, the actor made a promise online. "No more stock photos for this guy," he tweeted, captioning a photo of himself taken at the 2021 Met Gala. 

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