Isaiah Mustafa on Funny Commercials, 'Chuck' and Being "The Old Spice Guy"

If the name Isaiah Mustafa doesn't ring a bell, then all you need to do is think of the words "Old Spice." Since February, Mustafa has been the very manly face of the venerable brand's line of body washes, appearing in a series of very funny ads that have gone viral in a big way. The first ad in the series debuted online before reaching people's television screens, and each of the ads in the series have multiple millions of views on YouTube.

The ads, which have paired Mustafa's hilarious over-the-top characterization of "the man your man could smell like" with creative visual effects, have propelled the former NFL practice-squad player to "That Guy"-level of stardom, one he has capitalized on with a role in 'Chuck' and upcoming roles in the films 'Horrible Bosses' and 'Mededa's Big Happy Family,' among others.

Tonight at 10PM ET, he'll be hosting 'Funniest Commercials of the Year: 2010.' And, while his ads will undoubtedly be in the mix, the self-described "big TV fan" is passionate about all the other ads on the special, many of which can be seen at TBS's website VeryFunnyAds.com.

So is it a little meta to be hosting a special about the best commercials of the year when... I guess because you're considered to be in one of the best commercials of this year and last year?
No, no, it's kind of fun, actually. I mean, I like different spots. Of course, I like, I think mine's my favorite, (chuckles) but it's just fun to kind of present things like that. It's always fun to kind of be humorous for people, and these spots are...I watched them, and these spots are extremely funny. Like they're laugh out loud funny.

Well, I can't understand which one might be your favorite, I'm not really sure.
Right. Any one with a bare-chested African-American gentleman would probably be my favorite. (laughs)

When you looked at the commercials for the special, what other quality besides how funny they were made them stand out from just your average commercial?
A lot of them had an aspect where you thought you were looking at one thing, and then... most of the commercials have that, where you think you're looking at one thing and then they kind of like pull the wool out and then you're looking at something else. That's kind of how they hit you with the humor. And a lot of them just did that very well.

Does one pop out at you as a good example of that?
Let's see. There's the Hornitos tequila commercial. It's really simple. Two guys are just talking about... one guy's talking about this night out and how he hooked up with someone, and what he doesn't realize, he's describing his buddy's mom. It just so happened that his buddy's mom is like still in the bedroom. So that was kind of funny, because it was very subtle. It wasn't hit you in the face kind of things, it was very funny.

It's not always those big, over the top Super Bowl-style ads, then; to you, a successful commercial can be very subtle like that?
Oh yeah. Yeah, a lot of them, it didn't have to be over the top. I mean, I'll use myself as an example. For example, when I tear my mustache off my face, it's not too over the top. (chuckles)



Actually, let's talk the Old Spice ads. I'm guessing you've worked in commercials, done auditions, and worked on commercials for a long time. Has this been a part of your career for a while?
I've been acting since 2002, around about there. I think commercials are something that everyone does to get out there and get a little bit of exposure, get their feet wet, and also pay the bills. So anytime you can be a part of a wonderful, fun commercial, that's just a bonus. But in many of these spots, like you see a lot of people, I mean they just have really good comedic timing and there's good acting in a lot of these commercials that you see. Even the foreign ones that are just kind of random, those ones are hilarious, because they have some really good actors and some really good people involved.

When you get an audition for something like the Old Spice ad, what are your expectations? Are you saying "OK, I come in, I do this, I knock this out, and on to the next audition?" Or did you really look at this and say "Hey, this is really an interesting commercial that I haven't really seen before?"
No, you don't do that. Because then you can't really go back and look at something like that, as far as, you can't predict anything. You can't have any expectations, because you really don't know what's going to happen. You don't know how long commercials are going to run for, you don't know how people are going to receive it. When something like this happens, I think you just look at it as something fortunate and you work with it.

And you do your best to appreciate the opportunity that it's given you. Because without it, I wouldn't be hosting 'The Funniest Commercials of the Year.' So it's just something that leads to other things, and thank God that TBS, you know, thinks I'm a funny guy, because for them to ask me to replace Kevin Nealon is a very, very honorable thing, him being on 'SNL' and 'Weeds.' I mean, that's a...he's a funny guy, I mean, a really funny guy.



Before this Old Spice campaign happened, when you looked at a commercial that went viral, did you ever think that those actors were lucky, that they were going to be typecast, or something else?
You know, I didn't really put too much thought into it, as far as what it would do for the individual actor in the spot. I can give you like 3 commercials, or 3 series of commercials that I can kind of say like "Oh, I know who that guy is."

I couldn't tell you what the Verizon guy's name is, I just know that I see him all the time. And seeing him in a lot of commercials, you think like, "Wow, that guy must be loaded." You know, because he's been doing it since like 2000. So he's been doing it for 10 years now. At least. Maybe more, who knows.

Also Jonathan Goldsmith, who's actually in the special. We got an opportunity to talk to him as Jonathan Goldsmith, and not the Most Interesting Man in the World [in the Dos Equis ads]. Him, for example, who's had his campaign for 5 years, those commercials are very special in their own right. You know, they're very interesting, to say the least. Also Orlando Jones.

7-Up.
Yeah. And you look at that, and you see how that kind of, what that did for his career. That's the only person that I really know that a commercial's really like kind of pushed their career in a positive direction.

When this took off, what did you see it as? Did you see it as an opportunity to expand and kind of push on, do what Orlando Jones did and expand your career?
I look at it as, OK, this is great, because it gives me an opportunity to do other things, and have people see me do something on a very big stage, and people have a chance to look at my work. And if it leads to other things, great. If it doesn't, well then I just have to make sure that I take advantage of the opportunity that it has given me. And that's pretty much how I looked at it.

I wasn't planning anything great, I wasn't trying to take advantage of it, I just wanted to be very humble in knowing that it doesn't happen to everybody, and the fact that it's happening to me, I need to be very respectful of that and just take each job as they come.

Does Old Spice want you doing new ads for them?
In July, I became their spokesperson for a year, so I still work with Old Spice. And when they're ready for me to do something, I'll be ready to work for them again.

What does being a spokesman for them entail?
Oh, just, you know, being a speaking man of their product. (laughing)

Just literally being a man speaking.
Yeah... It basically entails just making sure that I represent their brand well, that I don't do anything that's going to, you know, take away from their brand, or tarnish their brand, which I would never do in the first place. I'm extremely grateful to Old Spice and Procter & Gamble, so I understand that whenever I'm in the public eye, that's what people see me as, and I need to present myself in a very positive light.



How is the experience working on 'Chuck,' by the way?
That was awesome. Amazing cast. Like Zach (Levi( is an amazing guy. He's a really nice guy. I mean, and just a kid through and through. Like he loves video games, and just loves to talk movies. Really cool guy. So I had a blast with him and Joshua Gomez. Those guys, I was never in my trailer, I was always on set talking to those guys because they're just so fun...oh my God, Adam Baldwin too. He's such a legend, you know? Just to learn things from guys like that is just a blessing actually.

Your role in 'Chuck' was one of the "Gretas". Is it interesting to be in a role where like one week it's you, and the next week it's some woman, and the next week it's somebody else?
Right. It's kind of fun when you're just kind of, you know... it kind of goes back to almost like 'Get Smart,' where they had different agents come in. I was watching 'Get Smart' one time -- I'm a big TV fan, so I like watching a lot of old TV -- and I remember seeing Regis Philbin on there. (laughs) I remembered seeing that, and I thought that was so funny. I was like, wow, look at that... Regis.

What do you like watching these days?
I really like the show 'Chase.' I really like that. For whatever reason, I don't know if it's because there's a female protagonist, I'm not sure, but I really enjoy that show, on a weekly basis. And it's kind of fun. It seems like it's got legs on it, like it's going to go for a while.

Pun intended, right, because they're chasing every... never mind...
(chuckles) I gotcha.

There is a Facebook group that says "Bring Isaiah Mustafa on 'Community' to play Yvette Nicole Brown's love interest." or something like that. Are you a fan of the show at all?
I'm a big fan of the show, yeah. Listen, I'm a big fan of everything on NBC. When I think of comedy on TV, I really think of NBC. I remember NBC as being, when I was a kid, one of the funnier networks I used to watch, with Cosby and 'Family Ties.' So 'Community' falls right into that. It's a little bit different, but it definitely falls into that (category of) fun comedy that NBC's known for. So to be a part of that, even as a co-star, or a small arc, or anything, would be amazing. I would jump at that, at the chance. So if there's an online push, push harder.

Hey look, it worked for Betty White, right? But you haven't been approached by Dan Harmon or anybody to guest on 'Community' at all, right?
Not yet, no.

What have you got in the works? What have you got lined up that we may be seeing you in next few months?
There's a show that's on NBC called 'Love Bites,' it's an anthology, and it should air soon. It's a mid-season replacement, so I'm thinking it's probably going to air sometime late January. But that show, I'll be on there. I have a nice, fun-sized role on that show. 'Hot in Cleveland' with Betty White and Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, and Wendie Malick, I'll be on that show this, oh I want to say probably February-ish.

And then also, there's a show called 'Femme Fatales' that's on Cinemax. It's their first original programming series. And that's going to be sometimes in April, when that series gets underway And I have a role in one of their shows that's coming up. So other than the 2 movies I did, 'Horrible Bosses,' and 'Madea's Big Happy Family,' right now that's just about it.

That's not bad, though. That's not bad at all.
No, no. And of course, this Thursday night at 10:00, you'll see me on 'Funniest Commercials of the Year.'

(Follow @joelkeller on Twitter.)