Peddling men’s cologne on top of a horse has been very good for Isaiah Mustafa. The star of the memorable Old Spice commercials has closed a talent deal with NBC, which hopes to add him him to one of the network’s current or new series, Variety reports.
Mustafa’s previous credits include small parts in shows like NCIS, Ugly Betty, and Castle before he booked the Old Spice ads — one of which aired during the Super Bowl. The actor told EW earlier this year that the high-profile spot ended up having a big impact on how he was perceived in Hollywood. “What’s funny is no one knew me as being funny before,” Mustafa told EW’s Kate Ward. “Because the only things I had done were these episodics and procedurals where I was kind of this tough guy, prison guard, cop, or FBI guy. So now, people are like, ‘Oh, he’s funny.’ That commercial … really helped me to climb that ladder of success.”
The commercial also invited an unexpected level of awareness from the public. “People in the industry recognize me. Other actors recognize me at auditions. [A TSA agent] at the airport said, ‘Are you that guy on the commercial? I saw you on the TV last night!’ I was kind of like, ‘You’re asking me questions? Shouldn’t you be, like, checking for bombs?’”
Mustafa told Variety that he just shot another Old Spice commercial, which is set to air in the coming months.
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Best commercial in a long, long while. Glad to see he’ll be getting more work.
i bet they’ll put him on Friends with Benefits, since it has two male roles being recast
Why would they cast him as being racist?
Umm..he said recast NOT racist.
bwahaha you made me spit diet coke
…too funny!
Why not recast with a racist? Everyone’s a little bit lacist.
he looks like a racist…
@Dinjab. Thanks for that Avenue Q reference. There are not nearly enough people who reference it in daily lie.
Or the new Law & Order Los Angeles…
Good for him! He definitely seems funny and is pleasant to look at
These ads are the best I have seen in a long long time…brilliant and funny and the man is hot hot hot!!!!
Terrific news. The commercial is brilliant, and if you caught Mustafa on Ellen he is even more attractive and witty in person. He’s a guy that would get me to watch a show I might not ordinarily watch.
But where did the commercial go? It hasn’t aired in forever. Why do they scrap the good ones, but reuse the annoying commercials forever?
I agree, Q! I was just wondering the other day why I hadn’t seen these commercials in a while. Thanks for posting he was on Ellen–I’ll have to see if I can find it on UTube or something.
porn is lifetime or life choise???
I saw the guy on Redeye a few months back, and he really is funny. Here’s hoping this NBC gig works out for him.
more power to ya, Isaiah
I love this commercial. One of the funniest I’ve seen in a long time. I’m also glad he’s getting more recognition and work. I can’t wait for the next commercial!
am i the only person who totally disliked this guy…i think it tried too hard to be funny and cool, and was simply bad…but maybe he’s a good actor…
The he nailed it because that was the point of the commercial.
Yeah, it was supposed to be exaggerated and cheesy.
Those commercials aren’t that funny. The guy is an arrogant jerk.
Yes, Tessa, you are the only one. Half of this ad’s “funny” is because the actor knows he’s being ridiculous, which makes it even funnier.
I agree, Tessa, you are the only one who doesn’t think he is bright, funny and HOT! This is obviously a very successful, memorable commercial — four months after it first aired, we are still talking about it.
Yes, you are the only one.
His commercial NEVER AIRED DURING THE SUPERBOWL. I aired after the game was over.
I am on a horse
I laughed so hard at that part, especially when he was riding backwards.
Best line in a commercial. And, the image of him on that horse on the beach makes me very happy.
Tessa, the commercial was supposed to be like that. Which is what made it funnier……..the guy is a future star.
Matt Lauer was gushing about this guy in a Today segment about top commercials. Now it’s clear why. The self-promotional network strikes again.
Mustafa is a great name too. Good for him.