Cadbury’s drum-crazed gorilla is unmasked

England’s Daily Mail this weekend published a story with more than you’d ever want to know about Cadbury’s drumming gorilla—in particular, the intricacies of the Stan Winston-made suit itself. The actor inside, Garon Michael, sounds conflicted about his role. “I’ve always loved the song, and when I was drumming to it for the commercial, I was wearing earphones and had the song blasted into my ears. So I really felt that rapture listening to it,” he says. Still, he adds wistfully, “When I got into acting, let’s just say this wasn’t the path I had planned out.” (He may be referring to this.) But the ad, which you can watch here, is a big success. Phil Collins’ 1981 song “In the Air Tonight” is back in the top 20 on the charts, and Cadbury has reportedly seen a 9 percent rise in sales of Dairy Milk chocolate bars in the U.K.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

October 31, 2007 | Permalink