Almost everyone is familiar with the highly popular ad campaign from Dos Equis beer that features “The Most Interesting Man In The World”. Anyone who has seen those commercials understands why he has earned that title, but since his retirement from the campaign, the actor who plays the man of mystery and intrigue has had a life that could almost match the interesting-value of his fictional persona. The actor in question, Jonathan Goldsmith, recently revealed how his position as “The Most Interesting Man In The World” led to friendship that many would say belongs in one of the iconic beer ads. Goldsmith recounts his meeting and blossoming friendship with former President Barack Obama.
When the two future friends first met, Goldsmith was still in the midst of the beer campaign that made him famous, and Obama was just about to start his second term in office. This was in August of 2011, and Goldsmith was in Vermont for a fundraiser to aid in Obama’s re-election campaign for 2012. Goldsmith was obviously a fan of Obama, but what he didn’t expect was the Obama would be equally enamored with him. Obama was secretly a huge fan of the Dos Equis campaign featuring Goldsmith, and he even quoted some of the most memorable quips from the commercials.
After that first evening, Goldsmith assumed he would never encounter the president again, but he received a surprise invitation only a few months later to join President Obama and his guests for a weekend party in celebration of the president’s 50th birthday. Goldsmith couldn’t believe that the president had invited him, an actor he had only met once. He was thrilled with the invite, but a small part of him suspected it was some sort of practical joke or setup. He felt that Obama had been sincere in his admiration of him when they first met months ago, and while that gave him warm feelings, he didn’t expect the president to pursue any sort of friendship.
It turned out that Obama himself did not invite Goldsmith to the weekend birthday party, but instead he had been invited by Obama’s team as a surprise for the president. Goldsmith later learned that Obama was legitimately a huge fan of his Dos Equis commercials, and the invite he received to attend Obama’s birthday party was meant as a gift for the president.
Interestingly enough, the situation that could have been a bit awkward turned into a real friendship. The White House team had arranged for Goldsmith to arrive while the president was visiting an archery range. Obama was apparently very surprised when he realized Goldsmith was present, and he laughed happily at his staff for arranging such an event. Goldsmith then joined Obama on the archery range, landing many shots with the skill of his fictitious counterpart. By the time the weekend was over, the two men were talking like old friends.
The friendship between Obama and Goldsmith continues today, and it is the cherry on what could be called one of the most interesting lives in the world. Goldsmith himself has quite an interesting tale, including an impressive career in Hollywood long before he landed the job with Dos Equis. After his retirement from Hollywood, the actor tried to start a marketing company with his life savings, but it went bankrupt, leaving him all but homeless. It was at that point that he got the acting gig as “The Most Interesting Man In The World”. His greatest piece of advice for those who want to emulate him is that you have to be interested if you want to be interesting.