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Jury Duty's Ronald Gladden Visits Ryan Reynolds and Mint Mobile

Another meta marvel from Maximum Effort

“I have some major trust issues,” Ronald Gladden tells Ryan Reynolds in a new spot for Mint Mobile. “I’ve been through some sh**, man.” 

Gladden rocketed to fame as the every-dude star of Amazon Freevee mockumentary Jury Duty. In the show, he doesn’t know that everyone’s an actor and there’s no actual trial. Mint riffs on that concept for a mildly paranoid tale told in Reynolds’ classic snarky style.

Reynolds says, “It’s hard to believe that in a time of crazy inflation, Mint is still just $15 a month. Can you believe that Ronald?” Gladden expresses some doubts and looks around for hidden cameras.

“The camera’s right there.” Ryan gestures straight ahead. “It’s massive.”

Basically, we’ve got a perfect, culturally attuned :30. Reynolds effortlessly toys with meta-media notions, along with the best possible guest star, in a scenario that seems tailor-made for the brand.

In the end, Ryan hugs Gladden and assures him “I’ve got you.” Then he adds: “You can trust me, I’m an actor.”

Let’s see ChatGPT write a script like that! (It probably could. *sigh*)

Maximum Effort, which Reynolds co-founded, produced the commercial for Mint, which retained Ryan as spokesman following T-Mobile’s March acquisition of the brand’s parent company.

2024 Lifetime Achievement Award