The “Liberty Biberdy” Guy from Liberty Mutual Commercials, Tanner Novlan, Is Joining CBS Soap “Bold and the Beautiful” (Mocking actors is good business)

Showbiz 411 ^ | July 9, 2020 | Roger Friedman

[DoodleBob]

How do you follow up one the big watercooler talk commercials? Well, Tanner Novlan has figured out his next move.

Tanner is the star of that Liberty Mutual ad in which a dim witted actor auditions for the commercial. He blows all his lines, can’t remember anything and can’t take direction. Now he’s taking his act to CBS’s “The Bold and the Beautiful” where he will play… a doctor! I hope his patients have good insurance. Look Novlan took join the show in the fall as they air new episodes post-COVID.

[DoodleBob]

Right after Hollywood got their pompous heads handed to themselves at the beginning of the COVID19 shutdowns, I think this commercial started getting a lot of airplay. The original commercial on YouTube was released in July 2019 and has "only" 1.2MM views. But the extended cut of the commercial was released in January 2020 and has 33.6MM views.

I don't know why I find this commercial so funny: the great writing, the acting, or that this commercial mocks actors like nothing else I've seen recently. I'm glad Mr Novlan parlayed this into something bigger.

[Bullish]

Boy, wow! Did you put this in “Breaking news” yet?

[DoodleBob]

Well, it was placed in Chit Chat. I think successful mockery of Hollywood doesn’t rise to that level. However, if you want to escalate it please speak to the mods.

[NorthstarMom]

I had never seen it before. It’s so funny and the actor is fun to look at ;-).

[proud American in Canada]

What’s wrong with his post? I liked it. I like that commercial. And I’m glad he’s got a role in a soap opera.

[fieldmarshaldj]

As a B&B viewer, I can say the new doctor seems a bit on the dopey side.

[proud American in Canada]

Please see my post #5. I agree with you.

[alexander_busek]

How do you follow up one the big watercooler talk commercials?

Totally unintelligible, first sentence of the article! FAIL!

Regards,

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Didn’t know this commercial was a “thing” — I just thought it was funny. Thanks for linking the extended one.

[DoodleBob]

Thank you. I thought initially it was just a very clever commercial.

But I saw it more and more on TV during the shutdown, coincidentally after the "Imagine" blowback. I looked at the YouTube view differences and hypothesized that it had greater appeal because your average American came to see actors as being dumb-as-dust.

I suspect many Hollywood types hate that commercial..."cmon...that's such a stereotype...we are actually smarter than our fans...". Maybe...maybe not. But the irony is the actor must be really good to play such a stupid actor. (At least I hope so.)

[albie]

I hate that commercial and the “Liberty, Liberty, Liiiberty, Liiiberty” jingle

[jackibutterfly]

A little off the subject, but have you guys seen that GEICO commercial, the one that is half human and half motorcycle. OMG - I HATE that commercial - it’s way too freaky. Wish they’d drop that one - I have to turn the channel everytime it comes on.

[Political Junkie Too]

Now he’s taking his act to CBS’s “The Bold and the Beautiful” where he will play… a doctor!

Dr. Drake Ramoray?

-PJ

[Hardastarboard]

Yeah, that one is nauseating.

[MayflowerMadam]

“the ‘Liberty, Liberty, Liiiberty, Liiiberty’ jingle”

My six-year-old great-nephew has been fascinated with that jingle since he was much younger. He’s scary advanced for his age, so I don’t get it. Such an insipid jingle.

[wally_bert]

Same here.

I admit that I like LMU Emu and Doug. It makes fun of cheesy 70s cop shows.

[mad_as_he$$]

I “liked” it the first 100 times. After 500,000 times I am sick of it and would never use LM for insurance.

[cymbeline]

“I hate that commercial and the “Liberty, Liberty, Liiiberty, Liiiberty” jingle”

Stupid is ‘in’ as far as commercials are concerned. I hate them all. Regarding acting, how difficult is it to act stupid?

[proud American in Canada]

“But the irony is the actor must be really good to play such a stupid actor.”

Good point.

You’re reminding me of that movie “Tropic Thunder,” with Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. The premise is these actors go into a tropical forest to make a movie about a war, in a country probably like Vietnam, though I don’t think they mention the name of the place.

Anyway, the Downey character is criticizing the Ben Stiller character’s performance in some movie and he says, “You went full retard! Everybody knows, you never go full retard!”

It’s a funny movie. Not the best ever made, but not a bad way to pass a couple of hours of quarantine time. :)

[proud American in Canada]

Yes, those half man/half motorcycle commercials are just plain weird. “It’s so great to see them in the wild!” LOL. It looks like that scene in The Lion King where the little lion cub’s dad is trampled.