‘Most Interesting Man’ In The World Gives Up Beer For Tequila

When the night reaches that point when you move on from drinking beer to doing shots of tequila, it usually doesn’t bode well for how you’ll feel in the morning. But then again, most of us aren’t the one-time “Most Interesting Man In the World.”

Jonathan Goldsmith, who was the face of the beer brand for 10 years before he was replaced by a younger, French actor named Augustin Legrand, has taken to sipping tequila in a new ad for Astral Tequila that has echoes of the Dos Equis campaign.

“I told you, I don’t always drink beer,” he says in the spot, referencing his well-known Dos Equis tagline., while surrounded by beautiful women at a cocktail table. Holding up a glass of the liquid he’s just poured, he then simply says, “Astral tequila.”

Of course, in the Dos Equis ads, he’d deliver his signature line, “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis,” while surrounded by beautiful women at a cocktail table.

Because Heineken USA — the owner of Dos Equis — owns the Most Interesting Man, it would infringe the rights of the advertiser if Goldsmith were to reprise the role, AdAge notes. It’s a fine line: He can reference his old role, he just can’t perform it.

“Astral Tequila has obliged by all trademark legal requirements,” the brand’s spokeswoman told AdAge in response to a question about the similarities with the Dos Equis campaign.

In a statement, Heineken thanked Goldsmith for his “long-time contributions to the brand,” and wished him the best.

He’s not the first ad character to switch sides after jumping ship (or being pushed off the ship, as it were): We all remember Verizon’s “Can You Hear Me Now?” guy, as played by Paul Marcarelli: Thick glasses, wearing a coat with the Verizon logo on it, and asking everyone if they’re able to hear him on the phone.

These days, however, he’s Sprint’s “I Used To Be The Verizon Guy” guy: Thick glasses, Sprint-yellow shirt — but he’s playing, well, himself, an actor named Paul. He is not a Verizon worker asking, “Can you hear me now?”

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