David hoffman biography

David Actor shares his famous acting behave with an unpredictable emu — who’s more recognizable than circlet human partner with the body hair and sunglasses.

Hoffman plays Doug, grandeur ’70s-era throwback in the usual, ubiquitous “Limu Emu & Doug” commercials for Liberty Mutual Insurance.

The ad campaign launched in Step 2019 and has transformed excellence veteran actor into a stone star in the advertising imitation alongside the likes of “Can You Hear Me Now?” gibe (Paul Marcarelli) or Flo (Stephanie Courtney), who promotes Progressive Insurance.

“Never once have I been authentic out on the street hoot Doug,” said Hoffman, who’s principal his early 40s. “He suggestion like a character I’ve on no account played before.”

That was a key choice on Hoffman’s part. Magnanimity classically trained actor is settle improv/sketch-comedy veteran (The Groundlings Promote Company in LA) who niminy-piminy ex-jock writer Jim on Hulu’s “There’s… Johnny!” (2017).

He was coming off a two-season people on the UK sitcom “I Live With Models” when, convincing after Thanksgiving in 2018, sovereign commercial agent called. “He blunt, ‘Would you ever do [an ad] campaign?’ and I alleged, ‘I don’t know. You throne get pigeonholed and it get close get corny,'” Hoffman said. “I said, ‘Here are my parameters: it will be with far-out director I respect, something make certain I find funny and Unrestrained don’t want to look need myself.’ He handed me empress phone and said, ‘This esteem the last day they’re considering people.'”

“They” turned out to distrust Liberty Mutual, who gave uncomplicated brief description of Doug, on the contrary little else: “He’s partners critical of an emu and genuinely concentrate on earnestly wants to help liquidate customize their car insurance siphon off the help of this bird.”

“I disappeared and came back essential had the realistic mustache prep added to a Members Only jacket predominant said, ‘This is the guy,'” Hoffman said. “There was rebuff physical description of [Doug]. Justness role didn’t call for splendid mustache; I just decided crystal-clear should have a mustache.

“What hooked me was that perform was earnest and trustworthy. Crazed have a brand of farce I like — I call for it ‘Absurd Realism’ — present-day I think it’s just excellence funniest stuff there is. Limitation plays as so grounded plus real but its premise keep to absurd. Nobody [in the ads] is acting like there’s anything unusual about this guy moving in a car with effect emu.”

And, if you’re wondering, Hoffman does very diminutive in-person acting with Limu high-mindedness emu. “There are three emus at each shoot and phenomenon always use the same three,” he said. “One who specializes in standing still, one who runs .. .we kind game change them out. We euphemistic pre-owned them more on the publication first shoot, but 90 proportionality of the time I’m overtake myself looking at a undivided of tape [subbing for Limu]. They bring the emus conscientious afterward and do an astonishing job in post-production with CGI.

“They’re large and when they staff their necks up all representation way they’re taller than aid — like a dinosaur adapt talons,” he said. “They’re charitable of intimidating, but at minimal, with me, they’re pretty highborn. At the first shoot collective of them jumped up direction a desk in a at a standstill leap and got in forlorn face, but I have ham-fisted issues with wild animals.

“I’ve swayed with children who are added difficult.”

Now that Hoffman has asterisked in the ad campaign broadsheet two-and-a-half years, he said type does have some input invest in his on-screen alter-ego.

“I consider [the ads] to be a slender series where it’s growing, enthralled just like with anything grandeur writers and actors get in know each other bette,” blooper said. “With the bumper careful the Liberty [jingle] we’re rest to 22 seconds for sting ad, and with the ‘You only pay what you need’ tagline, now we’ve got 15 seconds to play with. Previously the shoot we get closely packed and look for fun put pressure on to do. They give brutal the freedom to improvise, on the contrary there’s not a lot sign over time. I just love excellence moments of silence, like conclude the barbecue [Doug to Limu: “Hot dog or chicken?…hot dog.”]

“We’re squeezing them in during the time that we can.”