Ronald McDonald II of Kane has found himself in the middle of a nationwide fast food fight.
McDonald is among dozens of the fast food clown’s namesakes currently appearing in a national advertising spot for fast food chain Taco Bell. He made the final cut out of hundreds cast.
“My name is Ronald McDonald and I love Taco Bell’s new breakfast,” McDonald says into the camera during the 30 second commercial, which began airing nationwide on Thursday.
In a not-so-subtle play on the brand association, the campaign features dozens of other “Ronald McDonalds” from around the country, each declaring an affinity for Taco Bell’s new breakfast menu items.
The ad campaign symbolizes the launch of Taco Bell’s new breakfast menu, which includes such Mexican-American staples as “Waffle-Tacos” with bacon or sausage, its “A.M. Crunch Wrap” and Mountain Dew-laced orange juice.
Taco Bell, a California-based fast service restaurant chain specializing in Mexican style fast food, is working to secure a slice of what amounted to $2 billion in breakfast revenue for McDonald’s in 2013.
When not serving as the “breakfast wars’” newest recruit, McDonald is the funeral director at the Ronald McDonald II Funeral Home Inc. in Kane.
And he is gladly sharing his moment in the spotlight with his hometown — identified with him on-screen during his speaking role.
On Thursday, hours after the commercial first aired during the “Today” show on NBC and “Good Morning America” on ABC, McDonald was adjusting well to his newfound local celebrity status.
“When I walked into Northwest Savings Bank they all started clapping. They’ve been calling me Hollywood or famous,” McDonald told The Era during an interview on Thursday afternoon. “It’s been overwhelming. My phone has been ringing off the hook. I easily got 40 to 50 emails today. Every time I open Facebook there are 20 more messages.”
What McDonald describes as a “surreal experience” started about one month ago with a call from a stranger. A Santa Monica, Calif., casting agent on the other end of the line said she was gathering people with odd and unusual names for a possible ad campaign.
“You can’t imagine how many gag phone calls I got in my life because of my name but this was not one,” McDonald said.
McDonald describes what followed as a whirlwind of cross-country phone and Skype interviews, casting calls, short lists and call backs.
After making the cut, McDonald enjoyed an all expense paid trip to California, where he found himself checking into a Sunset Boulevard hotel with multiple “Ronald McDonalds” on the guest registry and a slightly confused, if not curious desk clerk.
The men assembled on-set. It was only then the actors learned the identity of the company behind it all, at which point non-disclosure agreements were drafted and signed, swearing them to secrecy.
Filming began in the same home used as the backdrop to star actor Tom Cruise’s pantless dance scene in the film “Risky Business,” with director Errol Morris (“The Thin Blue Line”) at the helm and dozens of crew members.
“I didn’t realize it took all those people to make a 30 second commercial. It was surreal,” McDonald said, adding he saw the commercial for the first time on Thursday.
“I’m glad I had the opportunity, but it’s probably the first and last time. I’m a one hit wonder. This is gonna die off, but it’s been cool for today.”
In the meantime, he hopes there are no hard feelings.
“Next time I go to McDonald’s I hope they don’t recognize me,” McDonald said.
