Our Favorite Dos Equis (Dos XX) Most Interesting Man in the World Quotes

In 2006, beer brand Dos Equis created a fictional character that they called “The Most Interesting Man in the World.” This fictional character went viral by the late 2000s, and by the 2010s, the “Most Interesting Man in the World” became a popular Internet meme where people created stories about the character’s incredible feats and achievements. To know more, here are the origins of “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” his sudden rise in popularity, and some of his most memorable quotes that are worth mentioning.

Who is “The Most Interesting Man in the World?”

The character called “The Most Interesting Man in the World” was created by Dos Equis, a brand of beer that is produced by Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, a brewery based in Monterrey, Mexico. Besides Dos Equis, the said brewery also produces other popular alcoholic beverages, such as Carta Blanca, Noche Buena, and Sol. The brewery was founded in 1890, and it was acquired by Heineken International (one of the biggest brewing companies in the world) in 2010.

In order to make Dos Equis more popular in the United States and other countries where the beer is exported, Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma decided to create a marketing campaign where they will put “The Most Interesting Man in the World” at the center.

Jonathan Goldsmith, an American actor who began his career in New York theaters and transitioned to TV shows and films, auditioned for the role of “The Most Interesting Man in the World.” During the audition, auditioners were asked to say the ending line, “…and that’s how I arm wrestled Fidel Castro,” which was a line that further proved how interesting the character was.

According to Goldsmith, he started his audition by removing one of his socks and improvised for 30 minutes before saying the ending line. The character he portrayed in his audition was inspired by his sailing partner and close friend Fernando Lamas, an Argentine-American actor who passed away in 1982 due to complications caused by pancreatic cancer. [1]

If you are interested to learn more about the story of the beer, you may read our post about the interesting history of Dos XX beer.

“The Most Interesting Man in the World” as an Internet Meme

Goldsmith was accepted for the role of The Most Interesting Man in the World, and by 2006, he began appearing in various TV commercials, print ads, and online ads for Dos Equis. In the ads, “The Most Interesting Man in the World” is depicted to have experienced almost everything in life, like walking on hot coals with his bare feet, running away from bulls, and traveling to different places in the world.

At the end of almost every commercial, the character would say, “I don’t always drink beer. But when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.” Then, he would state his signature line, “Stay thirsty, my friends.” [2] In these commercials, there was also a narrator who would provide more details about the character and Dos Equis. This narrator is played by Will Lyman, who also narrates episodes for the investigative documentary program “Frontline.”

There are ads that feature a montage of the amazing feats that “The Most Interesting Man in the World” accomplished when he was younger. The younger version of the character is played by an actor named Claudio Marangone. The feats that the character achieved in the ads are meant to be outrageous so that he would become much more interesting for the viewers or the readers of the ads.

By the early 2000s, “The Most Interesting Man in the World” had already become an Internet meme. A photo of the character is often used in memes, and this photo would be accompanied by the phrasal template, “I don’t always ___, but when I do, ___,” which is inspired by one of the last lines that the character says in almost every Dos Equis commercial. This meme would become popular until the mid-2010s.

The character was even referenced in the episode of “Saturday Night Live” that aired on September 22, 2012. In one of the sketches of the episode, guest host and renowned actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt was playing the role of the “uninteresting” son of “The Most Interesting Man in the World.” Another sketch on the episode had comedian Jason Sudeikis playing the actual “The Most Interesting Man in the World.”

Replacing and Retiring  “The Most Interesting Man in the World”

Jonathan Goldsmith would consistently play the role of “The Most Interesting Man in the World” until 2016 when Dos Equis announced that he would be retiring from portraying the character. The announcement of Goldsmith’s retirement was accompanied by a commercial where he was sent away on a one-way journey to Mars. [2]

Goldsmith was replaced by French actor Augustin Legrand, who would be “The Most Interesting Man in the World” until 2018, when Dos Equis decided to end the marketing campaign and replaced it with a new and simpler one that featured the tagline, “Keep It Interesante.”

However, Jonathan Goldsmith would reprise the character in numerous commercials, although these ads did not involve the Dos Equis brand. One of his most popular re-appearances was for the Super Bowl LIII commercial of Stella Artois, a brand of pilsner beer. Goldsmith would also appear as “The Most Interesting Man in the World” in the series of commercials for tequila brand Astral Tequila in 2019.

Our Favorite “The Most Interesting Man in the World” Quotes

Besides his iconic last lines, “The Most Interesting Man in the World” has also stated some of the best and most memorable quotes. Here is a list of our favorites.

  • “Some people know more than you. Listen to those people.”
  • “Find out what it is in life you don’t do well and then don’t do that thing.”
  • “Bear hugs are what I give bears.”
  • “My friends call me by my name; my enemies don’t call me anything because they are all dead.”
  • “I can kill two stones with one bird.”
  • “I am allowed to talk about the fight club.”
  • “I once won the World Series of Poker using UNO cards.”
  • “If opportunity knocks, and I am not at home, opportunity waits.”
  • “My organ donation card also lists my beard.”
  • “I am the life of parties that I have never attended.”
  • “I am considered a national treasure in countries I have never visited.”
  • “My reputation is expanding faster than the universe.”
  • “It has never been my bad.”
  • “In a past life, I was myself.”
  • “I once parallel-parked a train.”

Almost all of these quotes were meant to be a joke to further exaggerate how awesome “The Most Interesting Man in the World” is. Despite the exaggeration, the character still served as an inspiration for many young men to continue doing their best to achieve their goals and become one of the most interesting men in the world in the future.

References

[1] Hajek, D. (2015, June 20). The Man Behind ‘The Most Interesting Man’ Is Interesting, Too. NPR. Retrieved November 10, 2023, from https://www.npr.org/2015/06/20/415835643/the-man-behind-the-most-interesting-man-is-interesting-too

[2] Dictionary.com. (2018, March 1). The Most Interesting Man in the World. Dictionary.com. Retrieved November 10, 2023, from https://www.dictionary.com/e/fictional-characters/the-most-interesting-man-in-the-world/