Ryan Reynolds and Fyre Festival’s Andy King Team Up for Hilarious New Aviation Gin Commercial
Sometimes you just have to do whatever it takes when it comes to your company. At least that’s what Ryan Reynolds and Andy King believe.
In a new commercial for Reynolds’ gin company, Aviation, the actor enlists Fyre Festival’s Andy King—yes, the guy who was ready to offer oral sex to a customs officer to gain access to bottled water—to promote the brand’s dedication to excellence.
Featured in most of Aviation’s advertising since acquiring the company in early 2018, Reynolds stars in the commercial, which is titled, “How Far.” The spot begins with Reynolds putting on an apron in a dimly-lit, candle-filled workshop, and his voiceover asking, “How far would you go for your company? It’s a question I ask myself every day.”
He continues, picking up tools in the workshop. “After falling in love with Aviation Gin, I didn’t just buy another bottle, I bought the whole company,” he says. “When Aviation Gin became the fastest-growing gin in the world, I didn’t pat myself on the back or take the day off. I started working even harder.”
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Reynolds uses the tools to twist molten glass over an open fire, presumably to craft bottles to fill with gin. Intense, medieval music plays in the background. He then starts using an instrument to blow the molten glass, saying, “That’s why when Aviation recently suggested making a signature bottle, I committed to blowing every single bottle personally.” His eyes light up around the word “blowing.” Viewers soon find out why.
Reynolds is seen hand-engraving the bottles with his signature, emotional tears streaming down his face, with the voiceover saying, “Because can you ever really go too far for your company? I just don’t think it’s possible.”
The entire spot is incredibly serious, which is surprising, as Reynolds is known for being a humorous guy. The kicker then brings it all into perspective, as the screen shifts to show Fyre Fest’s King watching the commercial on a TV at a bar.
“He gets it,” King says, nodding slowly, before ordering Aviation from the bartender.
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The commercial, which went live on Wednesday, coincides with the launch of a limited-edition bottle of Aviation, which does in fact come engraved with Reynolds’ signature, though it’s doubtful he actually hand-engraved and hand-blew each bottle himself.
Reynolds and King will be donating a portion of all proceeds from the limited-edition bottle to the Exuma Foundation, which was set up to benefit those harmed by the disastrous Fyre Festival founded by the now-incarcerated Billy McFarland.
King recalled being prepared to go the extra mile for the failed event in the Bahamas in Netflix’s Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened.
“We had four containers filled, four 18-wheeler trucks filled with Evian water that I had left the week before for two days to go to meetings in Bermuda for the America’s Cup,” King claims in Fyre. “And when I came back, I had missed the big meeting with customs. And of course customs had said to Billy and the gang, you need to pay us $175,000 in cash today for us to release the water.”
With McFarland struggling for money to keep the festival afloat, he suggested an alternate plan to King.
“Billy called and said, ‘Andy, we need you to take one big thing for the team.’ And I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve been taking something for the team every day,’ ” King says. “He said, ‘You’re our wonderful gay leader and we need you to go down, will you suck d— to fix this water problem?’ And I said, ‘Billy, what?’ And he said, ‘Andy, if you will go down and suck Cunningham’s d—, who’s the head of customs, and get him to clear all of the containers with water, you will save this festival.’ ”
With the first Fyre Fest on the line, King didn’t miss a beat.
“I literally drove home, took a shower, I drank some mouthwash,” he says. “I’m like, oh my gosh I’m really … and I got into my car to drive across the island to take one for the team. And I got to his office fully prepared to suck his d—.”
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Luckily, the customs officer was understanding and all he wanted in return for releasing the water was to be promptly paid the import fee for the goods.
“Can you imagine, in my 30 years of a career, that this is what I was going to do?” King asks in Fyre. “I was going to do that, honestly, to save the festival.”
