Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt has made the rounds in a few commercials lately, first starring as TacoBoy in a The Waterboy-inspired Old El Paso advert before appearing as a metalhead in a Snickers advertisement. Watt was asked after practice today if he took any acting lessons from his brother J.J., who has appeared in commercials in addition to getting a little Hollywood with appearances as himself on shows such as New Girl and The League. But T.J. clearly hasn’t been impressed with his brother’s acting.
“No. I’ve seen that guy act before. He stinks,” Watt said via Steelers.com.
He also talked more about the process of shooting both commercials, including the Old El Paso one which also featured both of his brothers, J.J. and Derek.
“It’s always a lot more difficult to do when my brothers aren’t with me to loosen me up. But the Old El Paso was a fun one to do, obviously with Derek and J.J. And then Snickers was a fun one too, just to show some personality, but not too much. You should have seen the outfit they wanted me to wear and I just settled for the chain around the jeans. But just having fun, trying to show some personality.”
Both commercials are pretty funny, and do a good job of highlighting the more lighthearted side of T.J. On the field, he’s one of the most menacing players in the league, a true game-changer on the defensive side of the ball, but starring in these ads certainly helps show his personality. I’m sure the endorsement checks aren’t bad, either.
While T.J. hasn’t yet taken the leap into network television like his brother, maybe a guest appearance is up next. He’s already been in the commercial game, starring in Subway advertisements alongside his brothers, and he’s a big enough name now where he would be a cool guest star to have. The League and New Girl are both off the air now, so while he can’t follow exactly in J.J.’s footsteps, I’m sure if he really wanted to expand into acting he could find a show to give him some air time.
But for now, Watt’s focus is just on the football field and the San Francisco 49ers, the Steelers’ Week One opponent on Sunday. He’s going up against a rather untested offensive tackle in Colton McKivitz, and the opportunity is there for Watt to have yet another big Week One after starring in the opening game of each of the last two seasons.
