Meet the Old Spice guy

By Madeleine Marr12/15/2010

Seen those funny Old Spice ads on TV starring Isiah Mustafa? You've likely seen the former-NFL-player-turned-actor in "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like'' campaign; there are four spots, to be exact. The 35-year-old hunk is in a bathroom, post-shower, shirtless -- an ideal specimen who is both pleasing to the eyes -- and the nose. "Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady," Mustafa says, all baritone. The goofy ad has done well on YouTube -- and on TBS’s Funniest Commercials of the Year special, airing 10 p.m. Thursday, we can see if it's a winner. Mustafa will host the show, featuring appearances by other pitchmen, including Jonathan Goldsmith, of Dos Equis beer's ‘‘Most Interesting Man in the World'' spots. We chatted briefly with Mustafa, who is rumored to be dating Neve Campbell (no comment) and will star in Tyler Perry's upcoming Madea's Big Happy Family.

You must have a ton of Old Spice in your house. "They keep me well-stocked. They gave me a year's supply. When that runs out, I get another year."

Why did you want to rep this scent? "It's one of those things that's been in every locker room I've ever been in. It's been around for almost 75 years now; I was definitely aware of it before. I was so blessed to be the spokesperson for it."

How do you get so buff? "I was already in shape. I worked out on a consistent basis before the job. That's just how I am. I just like working out. Now I maintain." What's your routine like? "I do the P90X [a mix of various workouts] with Tony Horton, so it's fun. Other than that, I keep it to chin-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups -- just a lot of them. I have [football legend] Herschel Walker's type of mentality. I work out all throughout the day."