Ryan Reynoldshad a big part to play on Tuesday’sLive in Front of a Studio Audience, even if you didn’t see him.
“I took a DNA test recently and it turns out 20% of my body is comprised of 1980s nostalgia,” Reynolds, 45, told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement on Wednesday.
The six ads, which can be seen in the compilation video above, were made for Kraft Heinz brands (Kool-Aid, Heinz ketchup, Kraft Singles, and Oscar Mayer), Jack in the Box, and Reynolds' own Aviation Gin.
Maximum Effort
Each lovingly recreated the era in their own new and unexpected ways.
The two clips for Aviation Gin spoof both the ““Do you know where your children are?” public service announcement and Ronald Reagan’s 1984 “It’s morning again in America” presidential campaign spot.
“We don’t write ads at Maximum Effort. We write love letters. And we love the 1980s,” Reynolds said to PEOPLE. “Despite all the ad skipping and ad hating, we believe advertising can still be special. And fun.”
Reynolds also spoke toBusiness Insiderabout the ads, revealing that he’s been speaking to Kimmel about creating period commercials since 2019’sLive in Front of a Studio Audience(which included reenactments ofAll in the FamilyandThe Jeffersons).
“I love everything about ’80s advertising,” Reynolds told the outlet. “When both Jimmy and I grew up, the ads were something you couldn’t really skip, so they were something you actually talked about, for better or worse.”
Kimmel, 54, said he was excited about partnering with Reynolds, who is known for his sense of humor.
“I wanted to work with somebody who really understands comedy, because a lot of these commercials are commercials first and funny second,” Kimmel said. “I can only think of the Super Bowl and maybethe Oscarswhere people are looking for the commercials. So hopefully this will be something that we do every time. It’s a lot of work but it just adds so much richness to the show.”
And the two stars praised Maximum Effort president George Dewey and Kimmelot head of marketing and Wheelhouse Labs president Dan Sanborn, who both spearheaded the project.
“Really everybody was into it,” Reynolds said. “Everybody felt like this was a really unique opportunity to do things in a slightly different way.”
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Live in Front of a Studio Audienceis now streaming on Hulu.
To go along with the throwback sponsored ads, ABC produced ’80s-inspired promos for its current shows too, includingStation 19.
source: people.com
