Matthew McConaughey to star in Wild Turkey ads

Matthew McConaughey is not an actor who thinks getting involved in commercials is beneath him. After all, the native Texan has been a spokesperson for Lincoln automobiles since 2014 and a new series of ads for the cars hit the air in June. There’s even talk in car-industry circles that rising Lincoln sales could be due to the “McConaughey bump.”

Now, he can add Wild Turkey bourbon to his list of products and Don Draper’s ad man to his list of career paths. According to the Hollywood Reporter, he has signed a multi-year deal with Gruppo Campari, the Italian company, to be the creative director for the Wild Turkey brand.

That means he will “write, direct and star” in Wild Turkey ads and use it “as a platform for the marketing phase of his career.”

The campaign was launched Monday with a six-minute YouTube video in which the actor says, “I want to be part of the whole story, not just the character in it. This is my new gig.”

The first TV and digital ads will appear in September.

Whatever the outcome, it will probably be better than the reception for his last film, the generally disliked Free State of Jones, which has a 42 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was considered a box-office flop.

This story was originally published August 1, 2016 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Matthew McConaughey to star in Wild Turkey ads."