I've been trying to figure out for a long time who that arrogant yuppie is in the IBM commercials, and I've gotten my answer: he's Richard Speight, Jr. If you don't know what I'm talking about, look at his picture. He's the guy on the left, on the cell phone. The dude in the glasses captures the arrogant vibe too, but Speight has really got it down.
You can see him in action in the "Carry On" ad. He's the guy on the left, who says, "On a plane to Tokyo." You can read the transcript of that ad and other ads he's been in.
His delivery is funny, as if he's thinking, "Oh the commoners. Why must we tolerate them?" as he's looking down his nose at passersby in a Paris cafe or at a French chick in the company's Paris branch.
An article about the ad campaign says, "Sean, Richard and Denver are 'colleagues' who typify IBM customers."
Really?
“They seem to have chemistry together...They have a banter. It's shorthand. People relate to that.”
I don't relate, but I find the ads entertaining.
Speight was in a short independent film five years ago, where his accent was noticeably more southern (he's from Tennessee). I don't know if he chose to speak like that in the film, but it certainly wouldn't fit the arrogant yuppie role he plays so well.
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