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Jason Lewis is back on the small screen as the star of a new short film for Owl's Brew, the canned cocktail brand known for its boozy teas and hard sodas.
Dubbed “All Hunk, No Junk,” the tongue-in-cheek spot nods to the Sex and the City star's sultry on-screen persona, while promoting Owl's Brew's lineup of “spiked pop” made without artificial sweeteners. It also marks the 54-year-old's return to the public eye after spending the last few years decamped in Costa Rica.
To hear Lewis tell it, he was ready for a change after spending much of the early to mid-2000s as a Hollywood fixture, thanks to his fan-favorite role as Smith Jerrod on Sex and the Cityfollowed by memorable turns in Charmed and Brothers & Sistersalongside countless magazine photoshoots and campaigns.
“It was a lifestyle-by-design choice,” he tells Rolling Stoneof moving to coastal Central America. “I wanted to be somewhere with warm water, great surf, and a daily rhythm that supported my writing focus,” he explains, teasing an upcoming fantasy book series release and the chance to “play a very hack guitar.”
“I was also interested in learning Spanish, and the access to fresh food here is incredible,” he continues. “Costa Rica gave me a place where I could focus, live in a healthy way, and be surrounded by nature and beauty.”
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The desire to find something real is what also drew him to Owl's Brew, the female-founded beverage brand whose new line of hard sodas includes naturally-derived flavors like Black Cherry, Watermelon Lime and “Pineapple Dew.” Owl's Brew pitched Lewis on a campaign concept that referenced his memorable “Absolut Hunk” appearance in the 2003 Sex and the City episode, “Great Expectations,” only with a knowing wink to the fans. Lewis says he gamely accepted.
“The choice to partner with Owl's Brew was a combination of timing and the idea they brought to me,” he says. “I liked the concept. It felt good-natured and fun, and I think the product is good. Through working with them, I also really came to like the team of women running the company.”
It's been 22 years since the original Sex and the City series went off the air (Lewis did not return for the sequel, nor did his on-screen love interest, Kim Cattrall). The actor says he remains ever grateful for the experience and the remaining power of the show.
“It is a sort of distant experience, truth be told, but I recognize that Sex and the City and Smith have meant a great deal to a lot of people,” he says. “I try to honor that whenever it comes up, and I'm grateful to have been a part of it.”
As for why he thinks the show continues to resonate with audiences today, the actor says it's the same reason he thinks his self-aware Owl's Brew campaign will draw in viewers. “I think it made an impact the way any lasting story does,” he says. “It made, and continues to make, people feel recognized. It is very good writing, and through the different characters, there is room for the audience to see and reflect parts of themselves within the stories.”
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Are there any shows today that Lewis feels has the same impact? “Ted Lasso,” he answers. “Very different subject matter, obviously, but hands down one of the best watching experiences I've had in years. If you have not watched it, please go on that journey.”
Owl's Brew is touting the new campaign as Lewis' “return to the spotlight,” though the actor says he was “already planning to return to social media after a long absence spent in focused work” developing his book series. In a press release, Owl's Brew says “After debuting Spiked Pop at a 2003-inspired NYC house party, the brand is bringing the throwback theme full circle with one of the era's most recognizable leading men,” adding that the campaign's “mix of humor, sex appeal and self-awareness” is the “fun pop-culture moment we could all use right now.”
