Who is the black lady in the IKEA commercial?

Answer 1

Tags : arletty hubbell, Ikea commercials, older black woman, Sixth Sense, transamerica, Venida Evans

---- I don't know about you but those Ikea commercials featuring the older sister had me wondering a few things. My first thought was what's the point? Most recently, I really wanted to know just who this lady with the deep voice and ominous presence is. Well, I searched and searched to find the answer and I found the answer in Ellen Gray's column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The actress' name in Venida Evans. Sound familiar? Not to me either. Well, it seems that Ms. Evans was in "Brown Sugar" in one of those if you blinked you missed it roles. But she's also done her rounds on Dick Wolf's "Law & Order" juggernaut (you know L&O, SVU and Criminal Intent) playing such roles as Foreperson (3 times) as well as some roles that had actual names. According to imdb.com (International Movie Data Base), Ms. Evans has been getting credited roles since 1981 but it is this series of strange commercials that has gotten everyone talking and reacting to her. Because nobody is lukewarm about the spots, it is instant love or hate. Turns out the advertising agency that created these spots was trying to throw a little M. Night Shyamalan mystery into the mix with a bit of the "Sixth Sense" ambiguity. But this is far less successful (and also less quirky than say those ask.com commercials). Turns out Evans is supposed to be a ghost/muse/conscious that possesses a Mary Poppins-like quality. Instead she more like Emma Thompson's Nanny McPhee whose precense is quite unsettling (especially when she has her shoes on while lying in the bed). It also evokes the wise black woman who imparts her wisdom to her employers vibe. Creepy as these commercials may be, the attention they are getting may be a good thing for Ms. Evans. I hope they run for a while longer not only so she can keep the residual checks coming but so that some casting agent might see this sister as someone who can do more than be the foreperson of the jury.