Mähar says political advertising is work like any other

Actor Andres Mähar says appearing in a political advertisement is part of his job, just like acting in a theatre production, ERR reports. Public figures who have appeared in political campaigns differ on whether doing so requires sympathy for the party.

Mähar appeared in an advertisement for the Reform Party. He said the production company, not the party, approached him, and he had no contact with the party apart from during filming.

He said he could deliver the same lines in a video for any party if it wanted to improve life in Estonia. Asked whether viewers might associate him with the Reform Party, Mähar said they would do so regardless. An actor’s job is to create an illusion, he said, and if people believe it, that shows the actor has done the job well.

The Estonian Actors’ Union has set minimum fees for work, including appearing in advertisements, Mähar said. He declined to say whether he received more than the minimum.

Singer Ivo Linna has also appeared in political advertisements for the Isamaa party, but said he had stopped taking such work in recent years. He said he needed to feel sympathy for a party before appearing in its campaign. Although he does not demand a set fee, he said he accepts what is offered if the proposal is appealing and the company tells him what it can pay.

Entertainer Gaute Kivistik, who has appeared in Reform Party advertisements, said the work was an easy way to earn a lot of money. He considers it relatively harmless because political advertising does not influence his own decisions, and said he would have accepted an offer from another party too.

Kivistik said he does not believe a person who thinks rationally can be swayed by an advertisement in either direction. He remembers how much he was paid, but said the amount was confidential under the agreement.