The unwitting star of “Jury Duty” made a cameo in a Ryan Reynolds commercial and signed with a big-time Hollywood rep.
Reynolds knows how to capitalize on a moment when it comes to his advertisements. Remember when he gave the woman who got a Peloton for Christmas some of his Aviation gin in a pro marketing move that won the internet? Well, now the 46-year-old actor has done it again, but this time he’s featuring everyone’s favorite juror: Ronald Gladden.
“It’s hard to believe that, in a time of crazy inflation, Mint is still just $15 a month. Can you believe that, Ronald?” Reynolds asks Gladden in the Mint Mobil commercial.
“No, this doesn’t seem real,” Gladden responds, looking around skeptically.
Reynolds quips back, “What’s your problem?”
“Are there hidden cameras?” Gladden asks with an eyebrow raised. “I have some major trust issues. I’ve been through some s—, man.”
Reynolds wraps Gladden in a bear hug and assures him “I’ve got you,” before adding. “You can trust me. … I’m an actor.”
If you’ve seen the buzzy Amazon Freevee series “Jury Duty,” created by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, best known for their work on “The Office,” then you’re in on the joke. The show premiered April 7, and the finale is now available to stream.
Gladden responded to a Craigslist post looking for participants to take part in a documentary about jury duty, not realizing he was setting himself up to become the star of a new “Truman Show”-style mockumentary where everyone including the judge, the bailiff, the rest of the jury and James Marsden (who plays a satirical version of himself) is an actor — except for him.
Ronald Gladden, center, chats unwittingly with faux juror James Marsden, who plays a satirical version of himself on “Jury Duty.”
(Courtesy of Amazon Freevee)
The 30-year-old San Diego-based solar contractor quickly won viewers’ hearts as he went through jury selection, was appointed the foreman of an increasingly silly fake trial, and approached trying the case and his duties as foreman rather wholeheartedly.
The Times spoke with Gladden last month, and he explained that although there were moments that made him wonder if he’d been thrown into some reality TV series rather than a serious look inside America’s judicial system, the cast and producers ultimately pulled it off.
“Anytime after something crazy happened, for the rest of the day, it was boring legal jargon, it was hearing testimony, it was presenting evidence — it was literally as dry as they could make it,” he told The Times. “And I thought to myself, ‘If this really is reality TV, this show is going to suck.’
“The best way that I would describe it is that these people put me on a moral obstacle course,” Gladden continued. “I don’t feel like I got pranked at all.”
In the end, Gladden emerged a star — and now he even has the big-time Hollywood representation to match.
“Artists First is excited to guide this next chapter of Ronald’s professional career in the entertainment industry. We were drawn to Ronald due to his ‘good guy’ brand and think everyone needs a little more of that in their lives,” a representative of the management firm told Deadline. The firm also reps actors Minka Kelly, Awkwafina and Randall Park.
According to the outlet, Gladden said he was very excited to be partnering with Artists First, “a company that understands me and shares the same vision.”
