Actor, writer, and comedic gadfly Blake Anderson has another achievement he can add to his resume: beer spokesman with a flair for the absurd. Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, Anderson teamed up with Funny Or Die to make some commercials for Dos Equis’s ‘Five Equis’ campaign, which celebrates the art of drunken embellishment. While sitting in a Tex Mex restaurant in New York City, Anderson hopped on the phone to talk about creativity in advertising, his shaman-filled past, and just how far you can go to keep things ‘interestante.’
Before we dig in, it’d be best to familiarize yourself with the commercial first. It’ll only take 80 seconds.
https://youtu.be/UmF-5gi1rmE
You all caught up? Okay, good.
What made you decide to keep it interesente in the first place?
Honestly, it’s a proud moment for me. I feel like I’ve finally gone pro beer drinker, so I’m happy Dos Equis was the family that swept me up. Cinco Equis style, baby.
Did you have any input when getting the vengeful shamans to curse the cans?
I kind a grew up around shamans. I’m from the bay area, so a lot of dudes were were known for harvesting mushrooms. We called them shamans. Other people just call them dealers.
It’s a cultural nuance.
Exactly. Tomato, to-mah-to.
Since you’re the expert on the subject, when keeping it interesante, is it possible to go too far?
Sell your embellishment. You can go as far as you want, but you’ve got to really believe the things that you’re saying. You say it with conviction, you can convince people of anything. So, really commit. ‘Mit to the bit as we say in the comedy biz.
So you’re saying you have to believe the story before you expect anyone else to.
Exactly. You have to believe to tales that you weave. Otherwise people are gonna see right through it. I feel like you start training, making up stories for your mom when you’re like ‘Where were you last night?’ Then you just gotta… ‘[Mom], it’s not weird, but it involved waterslides.’ Then she’s like ‘Okay, that makes sense.’ Because the weirder stuff is, the more people are like ‘Well, there’s no way that could be false.’
That seems like it’s getting harder to do these days, though. What with reality is getting weirder.
Yo, bro. You’re right. Reality is kinda weird right now. It’s like, ‘What is real?’ It’s like a Twilight Zone episode.
Little bit of Black Mirror, too.
You’re right, dude. Black Mirror. I should update my references. My bad. To be fair, though, there are some really good Twilight episodes. You gotta just tune in really late at night. And you can’t mind black-and-white television.
For the record, if I had to make the choice, I’d go with Twilight Zone.
Okay, well I won’t tell Netflix. You know, I’m in bed with that company, so I can’t say a bad word, but Twilight Zone has a better pinball game. We’ll go with that.
I can edit around this later.
Thank you, man. You know, if you lose me my Netflix deal, I’m gonna be so pissed at you. But I’ve got a backup plan. Cinquo Equis, baby. Professional beer drinker.
You’ve got that Cinco Equis money, now.
Dog, lemme tell you, it goes a long way. I’m mostly just hoping they ship me a bunch of beer to my house for the rest of my life.
I’m a little surprised that wasn’t the first clause in your contract.
I fought for it, and my people fought for it. Almost, like a full on Avengers Civil War thing, but at the end of the day, I don’t think I got the lifetime beer pass. But I’m gonna throw some weight around. We’re working it out. I’ve got ALL my lawyers on the case.
You sound ready.
Oh, I’m super ready. I hope you’re ready, my friend. Cinco de Mayo is coming in hot this year, lemme tell you.
Any cool projects you’re working on?
Me and the guys, we’re lookin’ for a deal. We’re lookin’ for someone that might wanna rope us up. I love working with Adam [Devine] and Anders [Holm]. Then individually, got a couple cartoons in the works, filmed a pilot for NBC. Then, in the meantime, I’m doing some really cool Funny or Die videos with Dos Equis. You know. Livin’ the life.
I’ve watched that commercial about 40 times already today.
It’s not bad, right? It’s catchy!
It’s fun that they’re embracing the absurdity. Like those SNL commercial skits that are so well done you wanna buy whatever product they’re selling.
For sure. When I first got approached for this, I was like ‘I don’t like selling out,’ or whatever. But when it’s for beer, it doesn’t matter. I’ll do anything for free beer. But the fact that we got to make it like a sketch was really cool. We got to have some creative control, and it was a pretty dang funny video we got out of it.
It seemed like y’all were having a good time making it.
It was super cool. Working with Funny Or Die, everyone involved has a comedic sensibility, so they let you improv. And to help that, there was actual beer on set. So, win-win for your boy.
I worked in advertising in a past life. It’s good to hear they’re letting creative people get a little weird.
Dare I say, Dos Equis is the greatest company in the world to work with. And the best beer ever.
How good are the chances of a sequel to Game Over Man?
I’d say the chances are good. We’ve been talking with the peeps at Netflix, and me and the fellas got some good ideas for the sequel. Let’s make it happen.
You know I used to sneak Dos Equis in my teen years working in a Tex Mex restaurant, so this was kinda coming full circle for me.
So you got some Equis history. That’s huge! I’m pumped on that. Okay, when I come to Austin, let’s get five Xs tattooed on our throats.
This story will be updated as events continue to develop
