Joel McHale is returning to his home for a very specialSeattle’s Best Coffeead campaign. The Emmy-nominated comedian, who first broke out with his work hosting the comedic talk showThe Soup, is generally best known for his work as the egotistical Jeff Winger in the cult-favorite sitcomCommunity, which he’s expected to return for in the long-gestating movie continuation. More recently, McHale has found acclaim for his recurring role as Chef David onThe Bearand leadingFox’sAnimal Control, on which he’s also an executive producer.
With his Seattle’s Best Coffee campaign, entitled “May Smoother Coffee Bring You Smoother Days”, McHale gets the chance to revisit his home of Washington to be the face of the company’s hilarious new series of commercials. Created in honor of their new flavor, Campfire S’mores, the ads see a variety of people encountering rocky days, only for the star to step in and offer a cup of the brand’s coffee in order to help them overcome and enjoy a smoother day.
In honor of the campaign’s announcement,ScreenRantinterviewed Joel McHale to discuss Seattle Best Coffee’s “May Smoother Coffee Bring You Smoother Days” campaign. The star reflected on his history in the world of coffee and love of the drink, while also praising the creative team’s concepts for the commercials, and dedication to practical effects for them. He also opened up about making hisYellowjacketsdebut, the fears of saying “anything wrong” when discussing the secretive show, and the long-awaitedCommunitymovie.
Teaming With Seattle’s Best Coffee Was A Surreal Full-Circle Experience For McHale
“I Don’t Know What I Did Right In Life…”
Well before he became a household name, McHale grew up in the Washington town of Mercer Island, being part of the local sketch comedy showAlmost Live!and comedy groups Unexpected Productions and Theatersports!. All while doing this,McHale was working his first job running a coffee cart called Sam’s Espresso, which was “the only coffee on Mercer Island” given franchises had not yet come to his town. This, combined with his own love of coffee, made it all the more surreal when he got the offer from Seattle’s Best to be the face of their campaign.
“I will say, when Seattle’s Best Coffee approached me, and I told my wife, she was like, ‘Can you believe it?’,” McHale recalled. “And I was like, ‘I don’t know what I did right in life, but wow, this really is something that I get behind and love.’ I drink so much coffee, and I drink a lot of this coffee. And being from Seattle, the coffee culture of Seattle that I absolutely continue to participate in, and Seattle’s Best Coffee is one of the pioneers of Seattle culture that started in the 1970s and then just slowly took the world over. I got to grow up during that.”
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After we humorously discussed the idea of the campaign including him going to Mercer Island for a special pop-up coffee cart, in which he shared that he “can make coffee like you won’t believe”, McHale went on to praise Seattle’s Best’s new Campfire S’mores flavored blend,calling it a “really tasty coffee” and complimenting that it genuinely tastes like “graham crackers and chocolate toasted”. He also amusingly took note that “we are so lucky in America” with the various flavors presented by companies in the wake of the Seattle coffee culture boom:
Before the Seattle coffee culture showed up, America was drinking swill. American coffee, that’s what it had been reduced to, and now, I want to shake 20-year-olds that are just drinking these beautiful cups of coffee, like, “Do you realize how good you have it?” And then the old man goes back and slowly steps away.
McHale Was In Awe Of The Comedic Ideas & Practical Effects From The Campaign
“The Kitchen Going Nuts Was Something To Behold.”
One such idea that made the experience all the more “surreal” for McHale was that the production team “recreated my high school photo” while also humorously throwing a mullet on him. Another, however, wasthe smart kitchen that is going haywire because of technical problems, including a talking refrigerator and overflowing sink. McHale praised director Neal Brennan and the Seattle’s Best team for going for a very practical approach to creating its various gags in the commercials.
“The kitchen going nuts was something to behold,” McHale explained. “When you build those sets, you see it on paper, and you’re like, ‘Okay, that seems like it could be a thing, almost like an animated thing.’ And then, when you see it in motion, you’re like, ‘Wow, this is working great.’ Because one bad part of it could make it look bad. But if you were on set, and then they would go, ‘Kitchen, go nuts,’ the whole thing was shaking. There’s guys on the other side of the wall pushing cupboards in, and the refrigerator just walked at us, the sink went nuts, everything was great. And then the reset always took about 25 minutes, but it was really impressive.”
The Emmy nominee also recalled being in awe of the spot in which he encounters a dad being worn down by all the equipment needed for his children’s sports leagues. McHale explained how the effect was pulled off with “a gigantic right that was about 15 feet tall that he had on his back”, to which he told his co-star he should “get some friends and get some photos of this, because this doesn’t happen very often”.
Interestingly enough, McHale’s work on the campaignalso reminded him of how much he loves the world of practical effects, humorously acknowledging “that sounds like an old man actor”. He did go on to defend that “CGI is brilliant and beautiful” when used in the right proportions, but ultimately feels that it’s “really fun” for the crew and viewer when there is “the physical stuff right there happening before you” in the camera:
And Neal was on top of it. He knew everything we needed. Like, on Animal Control, we use real animal rescues and a bunch of puppets that are always great, and then we use some CGI, so it’s always like a combination. But this was all practical, and they built it all. Seattle’s Best really thought about it, and they look great. The spokesperson doesn’t look great, but everything else looks great.
McHale Is Terrified Doing Yellowjackets Press, But Loved His Experience
“Everything Was A Secret, Every Script You Get Is Watermarked.”
McHale’s Seattle’s Best Coffee campaign comes at an interesting time for the star, ashe just recently made his debut inYellowjacketsseason 3 as Kodiak, a wilderness guide hired to help the teenage versions of the titular characters escape the woods. Those familiar with the show’s lore knew the writing was on the wall for the character, as he was said to be one of three characters the group murdered during their time being stranded, withYellowjacketsseason 3 episode 9 revealingit to be Hannah who killed him.
Looking back on his experience on the show, McHale admitted to being “scared to do press” and talking about it given how secretive everything was. He acknowledged that with a fan base as big asYellowjackets', it comes with “speculation of the fans”, which leads to the need to protect major reveals from leaking, as well as the set “from people just wandering onto it and taking parts of it”,leading to the production having to “keep moving it"and jokingly saying the film it “in Narnia”.
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McHale did, though, celebrate the opportunity of getting to work with the cast and crew of the show, who he praised as being “super cool and fun” and the fanbase for letting him “become part of the family for a moment”, comparing it to his time onThe X-Filesin which he remembered, “Oh, they’re not going to show me as much of the script as I want to see, because they’re worried it’s going to get out.”
McHale Is Forever The “Optimistic Participant” That The Community Movie Will Happen
He Also Doesn’t Think It Will Be The End Of The Beloved Show
One question McHale has continued to field over the past two years has been whenthe long-awaitedCommunitymoviewould get off the ground after Peacock greenlit it in September 2022. While everything from his own busy schedule with Fox’sAnimal Controlto the dual Hollywood labor strikes of 2023 have delayed it, he remains an “optimistic participant” that the movie will get off the ground,assuring that they “have the money” and have overcome that “gigantic hurdle”. As to when filming might begin, McHale pointed to a post-September Fall 2025 start, depending on others' schedules.
Another point of growing curiosity among the show’s fanbase is whethertheCommunitymovie will endthe series for good, particularly since the meta promise has always been “Six seasons and a movie”. When asked directly if it will,McHale revealed that he and a few of his co-stars are “game” to continue after the film, though also acknowledging that it will “probably depend on the success of the movie”:
I don’t know what it would look like, but obviously the movie would have to inform a lot of that. I’m game, and I know a few others are game. I’m not going to tell you whom, but I would definitely do [more]. They are always like, “Oh, a limited series!” I would totally be up for it.
More About Seattle’s Best Coffee’s New Campaign & Flavor
Seattle’s Best Coffee is brewing up a new creative campaign in partnership with Joel McHale to celebrate fresh packaging and a new flavor addition: Campfire S’mores Flavored Coffee. In pursuit of bringing one smooth moment to start the day, the brand blended decades of smooth roasting expertise with a modern approach to deliver flavorful experiences and comfort, quality and consistency in every cup.
As part of the brand’s refresh, Seattle’s Best Coffee just unveiled “May Smoother Coffee Bring Smoother Days,” a national campaign starring McHale, a Seattle-native and coffee aficionado. This humorous campaign shows how Seattle’s Best Coffee helps make the toughest moments feel a little bit easier from the all-too-relatable challenges of daily routines. Created by LA-based creative agency, HAYMAKER, the campaign is running across national television, digital and social platforms this spring.
The brand’s bold new packaging features distinct color-coded flavor panels for easy selection, hand-drawn illustrations for each blend, and a dedicated panel for highlighting roast level, name, and tasting notes. And with a new look comes a new flavor offering – Seattle’s Best Coffee Campfire S’mores, a smooth-roasted blend with notes of toasted marshmallow, milk chocolate and a hint of honey graham cracker.
Source:ScreenRant Plus
Joel McHale
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