THE PHONE RANG. IT WAS RYAN REYNOLDS.
He had an idea. It was early December, and an ad for Peloton, in which a yuppieish husband buys one of the company’s $2,000 plus stationary bikes for his young wife, had just gone viral—though not in the way Peloton might have hoped.
Commentary homed in on the lead actress’s pained facial expression, surmising that “Peloton Girl,” as she was nicknamed, was being forced to exercise by her sadistic, thinness- obsessed partner. The ad was mocked for being sexist, out of touch, and even a full-on dystopian nightmare. As the furor peaked, on December 2, the company’s valuation dropped by a billion dollars, literally overnight.
At the center of all this, quietly freaking out, was the ad’s lead actress, Monica Ruiz. But then she received a call from one of the people on the planet best-suited to help her navigate this moment.
Reynolds had gotten her number from her agent. He asked if she’d reprise the role in an ad for a spirits company he owns, called Aviation Gin. “I just felt strongly that it would be a bit of digital judo, that she’d be taking this power back and repurposing it in a different way,” says Reynolds in early March, on an Atlanta soundstage. He’s wearing thick-framed glasses and drinking from a comically large refillable water bottle that he jokes “is so big, it’s impacted by the tides.”
This story is from the September 2020 edition of Fast Company.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2020 edition of Fast Company.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
How's This for a Cliffhanger?
That poor henchman over there has a hammer stuck in his forehead.
CREATOR ECONOMY
Carpe DM New platforms monetize intimate\" bonds between creators and their fans.
MEDIA
Inside Cesar's Palace NBCUniversal News chairman Cesar Conde's empire was rocked by a recent revolt.
CULTURE WARS
IN 2013, RODZ AND GORE FOUND themselves chatting in a tent in the wilds of northern Utah, attendees at a conference at which guests reportedly paid up to $12,000 to do yoga, fish, and kibitz with fellow entrepreneurs, would-be investors, and the author and psychotherapist Esther Perel.
CULTURE WARS
Tipping Point Stephen Miller's nonprofit is suing a startup over racial discrimination. The diversity of American business is at stake.
WORK LIFE
Nancy Reyes, CEO of the Americas at BBDO, answers our career questionnaire.
POLITICS
The Color of Money ActBlue has become the default fundraising machine for the Democratic Party. Here's why that's dangerous.
PODCASTING
The \"Great Men\" Theory of Podcasting Listen up, the 21stcentury frontiersmen are talking—a lot.
WORLD CHANGING IDEAS
FROM THE TINY SOUTH PACIFIC ISLAND OF NIUE то THE BUSTLING STREETS OF PARIS, FROM GUINEA TO SAN FRANCISCO, PEOPLE ARE DEVISING SOLUTIONS TO THE WORLD'S GREATEST CHALLENGES.
THE PERPLEXITY EFFECT
WHEN YOU GOOGLE THE TERM \"PERPLEXITY AI,\" YOU GET A FAMILIAR-LOOKING RESPONSE: A LINK TO THE COMPANY'S WEBSITE FOLLOWED BY FOUR OTHER RELATED POPULAR QUERIES, A HANDFUL OF PUBLISHED ARTICLES, RELATED SEARCHES, AND AN ENDLESS SCROLL OF LINKS THAT IF PRINTED OUT MIGHT EXTEND FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO AUSTIN.