Yes, I was in a McDonald’s commercial. It wasn’t planned, and I didn’t audition for it. It was just one of those “once in a lifetime” things that just happened. It was a testament to the saying “timing is everything”.
How does one get into a McDonald’s commercial by chance? Well it went something like this. I was vacationing with my beautiful wife in San Diego. We were spending the afternoon at Balboa Park walking around. As we approached a fountain I heard some music. Specifically, it was an awesome beat from drums. When we walked closer we could see Ronald McDonald (yes, the real Ronald) and some kids playing beats off of plastic buckets. It was super cool.
It only took a moment for us to realize they were filming a commercial. There were a ton of cameras and a large crew surrounding the drummers and Ronald. I admired the entire spectacle from afar. After a few minutes I noticed people walking up to the performers. As the crowd grew, I said that I’m not going to be left out of this. My wife decided to stay behind, but I worked my way up to right in front of the performers. Then the magic happened.
A few minutes passed by with the actors and Ronald doing their performance. All of a sudden I noticed the cameras switched from in front of Ronald to the back. Now they were filming me and the other members of the crowd. I saw the red light of the camera and knew this was my time. The closet “ham” inside me came out and I started dancing. The music was good so I made it clear by my demeanor that I was having a good time.
As the performance stopped, I thought what a cool experience. As I was leaving to meet up with my wife, a production aide came up to me. She asked if I would be willing to sign a waiver. She was clear to state that there was no guarantee I would be in the final commercial, but there was a chance. I signed the waiver before she could finish speaking.
Well, long story short, I made it into the commercial. It played on Nickelodeon and Disney for six months. I even made some money from it. I bring it back to timing. You just never know when things are going to happen. You just have to be ready and seize the opportunity.
Enjoy the commercial!