- Steve Miller

Sideways actress Virginia Madsen has landed a starring role in a new multiplatform campaign for Botox Cosmetic, an anti-wrinkle treatment from Allergan.

The campaign, via Grey, New York, is the centerpiece of the current "Freedom of Expression" effort and will run through the end of the year. Broadcast broke this week and includes buys for 15- and 30-second spots on cable (Lifetime, TNT, HGTV and TLC) and network TV, including The Today Show, The View and Good Morning America. Print ads will start running next month in 20 national magazines. Web banners will appear on the sites of many of the broadcast outlets and magazines.

Madsen also will continue to do personal appearances on behalf of Allergan; she has represented Botox and Juvederm for the company since last year. In another campaign called "Keep the Wisdom? Lose the Lines," Madsen teamed with her 74-year-old mother, documentary filmmaker Elaine Madsen.

In the new spot, Madsen speaks of her fondness for Botox and directs viewers to Botoxcosmetic.com. She is one of the first prominent Hollywood figures to speak in favor of Botox and admit that she used the treatment in an industry where it's widespread but unspoken of.

"I don't like to criticize other actors for what they choose to reveal or not, but let's be honest. I know a lot of people who are doing [Botox], who aren't talking about it," Madsen told People magazine in a May 2007 interview.

Allergan, Irvine, Calif., has used models in past campaigns, but "with Virginia, we've taken that freedom message a step further," said Jason Kahner, svp-account management at Grey. "She gives the brand even more credibility, and she's really delivering this message of empowerment, a message that we've ramped up for this campaign."

Last month, Allergan, Madsen and the League of Women Voters—a nonpartisan political organization—collaborated for a public service announcement, encouraging people to vote and, presumably, consider Botox. That effort dovetailed into the campaign that launched this week.

Allergan, which spent $41 million last year on ads for Botox (excluding online), per Nielsen Monitor-Plus, is weathering problems with the prescription drug. In February, the Food and Drug Administration said that Botox had been linked to severe side effects like death, particularly children being treated for cerebral palsy.