Ryan Reynolds revealed the backstory behind Gwyneth Paltrow starring in a viral ad. He shared the creative decision behind the same. The actress was featured in a widely shared PSA for the data company Astronomer. It was after the firm found itself in the middle of controversies this summer during a Coldplay concert.
Ryan Reynolds recalls Gwyneth Paltrow’s viral ad
Ryan Reynolds revealed that an idea for the viral ad with Gwyneth Paltrow came to him really fast. He said, “Just 14 hours later, I’m paying for that, [and I didn’t] have their blessing yet, but I [knew] that nobody at that time … knew what an Astronomer does. So I was like, ‘What if Gwyneth explained it?’” (via The Wall Street Journal)
This PSA arrived after a widely criticised incident at a Coldplay concert. It was when Astronomer’s former CEO Andy Byron and a company HR executive were filmed on a kiss cam. This moment caused endless headlines and prompted leadership changes at the company.
Reynolds said that his team at Maximum Effort stepped in to offer a different way to frame the narrative. He expressed, “It was a real opportunity for them to take the conversation away from where it was, which was quite toxic, I think, and really focus on something that mattered in a way that was fun and easy and emotional and lovely.”
During his interview, the actor also defended the company’s work. He claimed, “It turns out, Astronomer’s an amazing company. They really do some amazing stuff.” Thus, the ad’s goal was to move attention from the headlines to the company’s core mission.
Ryan Reynolds then cast Gwyneth Paltrow for the ad. In the video that the Astronomer posted on their social media, the actress says, “I’ve been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer.” She then highlights the goals of the company and ends the message saying, “We will now be returning to what we do best, which is delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.” (via Astronomer)
Originally reported by Preksha Sharma on Mandatory.
