Apple plans expansion of "Get a Mac" TV campaign

According to an LA Times interview with Justin Long, the actor who plays the hipster Mac slacker dude in the commercials, Apple has lined up nearly 20 additional ad spots to the seven it has aired on national TV so far.

Although Long is currently appearing in theaters alongside Jennifer Aniston in the "Break-Up, he was previously best know for his role in the TV series "Ed." But while Long is focusing on jump-starting his film career, he admits that most of his stardom has come as a result of the Apple commercials.

"Nine out of 10 people who recognize me recognize me from the commercials," he told the LA Times. "I had a guy come up to me, in my face, saying, 'You think you're so cool? You're not cool' and I'm saying to him, 'Dude, it's a commercial.' "

Long said that when he was first contacted by his agent over playing the role of the Mac dude, he was a bit wary. "I was in this false arrogance, deluding myself that I was beyond [commercials] — 'I'm doing movies'," he said. However, growing up in a house where his mom made a living as a commercial actress, he recognized the value of the offer.

Still, Long has found that playing the a laid-back hipster Mac user poses more of a challenge than some may think. "Commercials are hard because you don't have a lot to work with but you have a lot to work against. You don't want to look silly and polished but still, you know, you're selling something," he said. "We were fighting with the company people who didn't want it to be too subtle and I didn't want to come off too smug. People who haven't done commercials don't appreciate how hard it is."