The Day I Interviewed the original “Most Interesting Man In the World”

“Stay Interesting” available now in bookstores and on Amazon. Photo courtesy of Brian Pollack.

Every once and a while an opportunity presents itself that you just need to embrace. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Jonathan Goldsmith, the actor who became famous for portraying Dos Equis’ original “Most Interesting Man in the World.” His new book, “Stay Interesting: I Don’t Always Tell Stories About My Life, but When I Do They’re True and Amazing” was released on June 13, so I thought – because of his experience with Dos Equis – he would have some stories to tell about beer.

I had the chance to talk to Goldsmith on a phone interview, to find out a little more about the original “Most Interesting Man in the World.” I learned that long before he became uber-interesting, Goldsmith began his acting career in Western movies and portrayed many characters in a distinguished list of 1980s television shows including Dallas, MacGyver, The A-Team, Knight Rider, and Magnum P.I. among many other iconic shows of the decade. He explained that he decided to put the book together after a charity trip to Viet Nam. “A reporter interviewed me about my career, and when we were done he said, ‘With the stories you have, you should write a book!’ I had already been saving things for my children and grandchildren, but I decided that a book would be a great way to pass along my stories to them.”

Goldsmith told me about his role as a villain in John Wayne’s last movie – The Shootist; his character came to his demise by being shot in the head by The Duke. The scene needed multiple takes and the blood packets left welts on his face each time. The producer felt so bad for him that Goldsmith was paid double in the end. “Stay Interesting” also documents Goldsmith’s audition for Dos Equis in which he was asked to create a story with the last line “…and that’s how I arm-wrestled Fidel Castro.” Goldsmith explained, “I channelled my friend (and fellow actor) Fernando Lamas, including his accent” and created a story that wow-ed the casting directors and landed him the spot.

The stories in “Stay Interesting” are focused on Goldsmith’s acting career and his interactions with other actors and actresses, including Tina Louise (Ginger from Gilligan’s Island); but the man who was the face of Dos Equis beer for almost a decade admitted that there are no tales in the book that involve beer. In fact, since leaving Dos Equis, Goldsmith has become associated with Astral Tequila and even makes a brief appearance in a video on the website in which he says, “I told you – I don’t always drink beer.” Even though “Stay Interesting” does not discuss any interesting beers, it was clear from his stories during the interview that the book will be a fantastic read, especially for anyone who has an appreciation for the Hollywood scene from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Cheers!

The Brewholder