Though she was born with no legs and only one arm, Lauren Woolstencroft overcame incredible odds to become an eight-time Paralympic gold medalist. With the help of a statistician, we showed Lauren’s journey from birth to the top of the podium, with her odds of winning a gold medal increasing at each pivotal moment in her life.

As the first-ever Worldwide Mobility Partner of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, Toyota’s mission was to elevate the Paralympic Movement so that it would be equal with the Olympic Movement. An important mission for the International Paralympic Committee is to continually inspire those with physical challenges to try sports as a part of their everyday lives. Without inspiring the next generations of athletes, the Paralympic Games would cease to exist.

That's why we choose to tell the real-life story of Canadian Alpine Skier Lauren Woolstencroft, who overcame tremendous odds to become a legendary Paralympic gold medalist.

Toyota had the honor of bringing the story of 8x Paralympic Gold Medalist Lauren Woolstencroft to millions of people around the world. Lauren is an accomplished skier who was born with no legs and only one arm. We knew from the beginning Lauren is one of a kind, but we were committed to representing her as authentically as possible. When casting for Laurens at all stages, from infant, toddler, elementary school, teen, and 20’s, we had to keep many factors in mind: likeness in the face and hair, comfort in front of the camera, skiing ability, and finally, physical likeness to Lauren. Ultimately, we reached out to over a hundred organizations across Canada with a focus on para-athletes and amputees, and found a Paralympic skier with one arm to play Lauren’s body double, and a congenital amputee to play Lauren in the ballet scene. Lauren played herself from the 20’s onward, and we focused on more physical likeness and skiing ability for the other roles to create the visual thruline so that viewers could connect this was Lauren growing up. Post effects helped us the rest of the way. When the spot aired, some asked how we got access to all that footage, as if what we filmed were from authentic home videos. But the most gratifying reaction was from Lauren’s family. When watching the spot on the 2018 Super Bowl for the first time, Lauren’s family called it an authentic portrayal, and said it brought back memories and some tears too. Lauren herself said she was delighted with how much Saatchi involved her in the process and “worked hard to make sure they got her story right.”