The key artifact in this nexus is the legendary 1998 Pepsi commercial titled "Photographer" (sometimes referred to in archives as "The Uma Photo Shoot" ). Directed by Kinka Usher (who would go on to direct Mystery Men ), this ad broke every rule of beverage marketing.
It’s not lovers. It’s something more complicated. They share clothes, dressing rooms, a certain hollow exhaustion. They compete for the same covers, the same glances from D. But late at night, after the shoot that produced this photo, they share a single cigarette and a bottle of cheap wine. Pepsi confesses she’s terrified of turning 25. Uma admits she’s never been in love. They are not friends, exactly. They are war survivors sharing a foxhole.