University News

Western Grad Stars in Evian Commercial

May 3, 2013

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MACOMB, IL – A Western Illinois University graduate is using his musical theatre education as the lead actor in a new television commercial for evian.

Micah Spayer, a 2009 graduate with a degree in musical theatre who now lives in New York, NY, is featured in the new commercial, which shows Spayer walking down the sidewalk and noticing that his reflection in the mirror shows the face of a baby. The commercial was released on Sunday, April 21 and already has millions of views on You Tube.

Spayer said he was initially called in to play the commercial's role as a mustached cyclist. After an audition, which included dancing and pretending to look in a mirror and see a baby looking back, the producers from Iconoclast Productions rewrote the commercial and cast Spayer in the lead role.

"The commercial was filmed in late January in Buenos Aires," Spayer said. "We were there for eight days, but before then, we rehearsed with well-known choreographer Michael Rooney for four days.

Spayer credits his WIU education for molding his background.

"The teachers were encouraging and pushed me in the right direction," he said. "That's the beauty of the professors there; they leave a lot of it up to the students because at the end of the day you are in charge of yourself, and the streets of New York won't take pity upon you if you expect to be nurtured."

After the commercial began airing on television and on You Tube, Spayer said he began hearing from old school friends.

"The commercial is big in Japan and the United Kingdom," he said. "My face is somewhere. It's incredible to see all the support from all kinds of people."

Spayer has also performed as "The Cat in the Hat" in the national tour of "Seussical: The Musical," and appeared off-Broadway as "Mike" in "The Austerity of Hope" at The June Havoc Theatre. He has also appeared in the pilot presentation of "Supers," for Comedy Central's Comedy Pilot Competition, in association for The New York Television Festival.

At Western, Spayer performed the theatrical productions of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Me and My Girl," "1776," "Blood Brothers," "The Lion in Winter" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change."

The commercial can be seen at youtube.com/user/evianbabies/babyandme.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing