The Verizon Guy, actor Paul Marcarelli, who became one of the most famous faces in America through his nearly decade long portrayal of the deadpan, Buddy Holly eyeglassed, Verizon phone technician who asks, “Can you hear me now?” in the phone company’s signature ad campaign, has publicly come out as a gay man. The actor, who was very much out in private and as an unknown struggling New York stage actor, kept his mouth shut for the last 9 years to honor his obligations to Verizon which earned the actor millions of dollars in compensation. Mr. Marcarelli, informed in an email earlier this year that Verizon was going to go in a new direction with its ad campaign and the “Verizon Guy” would gradually be let go, decided that now was the time to speak his mind and reveal his decade long struggle to remain quiet about his private life. The story, in full, was revealed in an article in The Atlantic.
This is the kind of story that raises a lot of conflicting emotions for some people, myself included. It’s great that Mr. Marcarelli is free to come out, publicly, as a gay man but it does raise other concerns. The actor’s contract with Verizon apparently didn’t specifically say he couldn’t be “out” but it’s certainly inferred that it was preferred he remain quiet about his sexuality. It’s sad that it’s sort of understandable WHY a huge corporation wouldn’t want its spokesperson to be an out gay man for fear that consumers wouldn’t buy cell phone service because a gay person was promoting them. And, it’s also sad that a man had to choose between a very lucrative livelihood and being honest and open about himself. With the money Mr. Marcarelli earned, he’s been able to achieve economic freedom as well as fund the theater company he co-created over a decade ago, The Mobius Group. Currently, the actor is just beginning to promote The Green, a film he co-wrote and produced starring Julia Ormond and Jason Butler Harner which centers on an out gay couple in a small town who face persecution after one of the men, a school teacher, is involved in a local scandal. (This indie film seems destined to play at the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival…)
Side Note: I’ve had a crush on the Verizon Guy for years. Cute, nerdy Italian boys with Buddy Holly glasses = YUM! Especially when they’re millionaires…
