Nostalgic Man Can Still Remember Time When Billboard Advertised ‘Red 2’

HOUSTON—Thinking back on a far simpler time, local man Andrew Espenales, 34, wistfully told reporters Wednesday that he is still able to recall an era when the billboard on the southbound side of Interstate 610 advertised the 2013 action comedy Red 2. “Man, it feels like it was only yesterday I was looking up at that all-star ensemble cast,” said Espenales, smiling as he took a stroll down memory lane to a time when the billboard, currently featuring a Smartwater advertisement, promoted the Bruce Willis–helmed sequel with the tagline “The Best Never Rest.” “I can close my eyes and picture it now, clear as day. You’d drive by and see that red background, the large text, and Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Helen Mirren striding confidently toward you. I must have looked up at that old Red 2 sign dozens of times, and then one day, just like that, it was a Nike ad featuring J.J. Watt. Boy, times sure do change.” Espenales confirmed that the former summer blockbuster’s domestic release date, July 19, would forever be etched in his memory.