New White House anti-sexual assault video stars rampaging bear, ‘New Girl’ actor Jake Johnson
What if one in five people got eaten by a bear? That’s the question posed by a new video released by the White House and College Humor in support of the “It’s on Us” campaign, which aims to prevent sexual assaults on campus.
So, follow the video’s logic: if a full 20 percent of people were fatally mauled by wildlife, everyone would be super-freaked out and do something about it — so maybe they should have a similar response to the threat of sexual assault, which claims a similar percentage of female victims. “New Girl” actor Jake Johnson stars as a hapless undergrad (even though, at 37, he’d be the creepy guy at the kegger) who appears oblivious to the odds that he might be chomped by a rampaging bear.
Johnson enlisted some of his pals from the world of comedy, including Rob Riggle, to co-star as his fictional dude squad. “Everyone was an instant yes,” he said on a Thursday White House conference call launching the video and a week-long series of events on campuses.
Johnson said he hopes the video challenges the antiquated concept of a “dude code” in which men tacitly accept sexual assault among their friends. “As a bro, you kind of look the other way and there’s a line a bro won’t cross against another bro — that is so tired.”
Other celebs who’ve partnered with the “It’s On Us” campaign include Lady Gaga, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love and actors Kerry Washington, Jon Hamm, and Connie Britton.