Verizon test guy breaks nine year silence to reveal how becoming 'ad celebrity' changed his life

Verizon test guy breaks nine year silence to reveal how becoming 'ad celebrity' changed his life

 

The Verizon 'test guy' who rose to fame with the catchphrase 'Can you hear me now?' spoke publicly for the first time today - and revealed the pain he has endured from becoming a celebrity.

Paul Marcarelli was hired for the role when the mobile phone company launched the commercial in 2002.

It featured the 'test guy' in a series of strange locations while dressed in a grey Verizon jacket and black horn-rimmed glasses asking the question 'Can you hear me now?'

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Can you hear me now? A strict contract prevented Paul Marcarelli speaking about the 'test guy' commercials but he now says that being a celebrity has changed his life

The advert became in an instant hit and brought Marcarelli national fame as millions of people across the U.S repeated the catchphrase.

But Marcarelli has now broken a nine-year silence that prevented him from talking about the commercial to reveal how becoming an ad celebrity has had painful effects on his personal life.

The 40-year-old actor said that at his grandmother's funeral when her body was being lowered into the ground, he heard a family friend whisper: 'Can you hear me now?'

The actor also said that he has endured years homophobic abuse from youths who drove by his house but was too afraid to contact police for fear of being exposed as the 'test man'.

They started screaming ‘faggot’ up at my house. It got progressively more profane as the years went by,' he told the Atlantic magazine.

Dirty work: The mobile phone company's commercials featured their 'test guy' in strange locations. Here he wades through a forest

Trademark: The test guy's black Buddy Holly style glasses became part of his on-screen persona, as well as the famous phrase

Marcarelli had been a struggling stage actor performing to almost empty audiences. He shared an apartment with his boyfriend and another actor friend in New York.

But his big break came in 2002 when Verizon, part of Vodafone in the U.K., launched a new advertising campaign.

The adverts showed one of their employees in Buddy Holly style black glasses testing their phones in different areas to make sure they worked.

An early performance saw Marcarelli use his catchphrase in front of 85,000 football fans during the half-time show of the Buffalo Bills’ 2002 season opener.

The slogan, 'Can you hear me now?', quickly caught on and Verizone stuck with Marcarelli and the adverts for another nine years.

Marcarelli promotes the new Verizone iPhone4 with the phase 'Yes, I can hear you now?' in the most recent commercials.

Advert: Marcarelli said that although he is now financially comfortable there have been downsides to fame, such as not feeling able to report homophobic abuse he suffered

But a clause in the contracts prevented Marcarelli from speaking publicly about the commercials or from doing any other kind of commercial work.

It has been reported that Verizon were desperate to ensure that the actor 'should certainly not be heard’.

But the company has said that the commercials will be ending soon - and Marcarelli now wants to distance himself from the on-screen persona to promote his own personal projects.

The actor has even ditched his trademark black rimmed glasses which he has worn since his mid 20s and replaced them with wire-framed spectacles.

He has also given his first interview after the terms of his strict contract were relaxed.

Marcarelli said that he is no longer committed to the company as much as he was.

'I definitely think that my reticence to have any kind of persona outside of this job was that I didn't want to be put in a position to have to answer any uncomfortable question that would affect my income stream.'

He said that fame 'has a price to pay' and he is glad that the part of his life is over. He said that most people his age are trying to 'trade in their street cred' for money but he feels comfortable financially and wants to produce 'something of value'.