Check Out This Fred Durst-Directed eHarmony Commercial
Fred Durst: 43-year-old hat enthusiast, frontman of the rap-rock institution Limp Bizkit, George Michael cover artist, Young Money signee, and…eHarmony commercial director? Yup, it happened — please prepare to deal with it.
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Our first glimpse at Durst’s special spin on the eHarmony brand (there will be three Durst-directed ads in all) features two adorable kids getting a little ahead of themselves in the romance department. Fortunately, eHarmony CEO Dr. Neil Clark Warren is there to get the youngsters to pump the brakes a bit. (He’s not above encouraging them to hit up the website when they’re old enough, though.)
“It was a really amazing experience,” Durst tells Ad Age in an interview about the eHarmony ads. “The chemistry was perfect right off the bat. I’d definitely be open to doing something else if they wanted me to.” Also: “These particular commercials are more fun than I’m used to seeing from eHarmony campaigns, but you can relate to them in a way that makes sense on many different levels for many types of people.” People grow up, sure, but still…it’s almost impossible to process the fact that this is the same guy who once growled “I hope you know I pack a chainsaw / I’ll skin your ass raw.”
This type of work isn’t completely out of the blue for Durst. While the dude who gave the world “Break Stuff” and “Nookie” doesn’t seem like the most natural fit for a dating website, Durst does have a history with film. He directed 2007’s The Education of Charlie Banks, starring Jesse Eisenberg (Rotten Tomatoes ranking: 45 percent fresh), and 2008’s The Longshots, starring Ice Cube (40 percent fresh). Durst has also made a handful of acting appearances, including Zoolander and House M.D., and has worked on autobiographical TV pilots for both the CW and CBS, with the latter called Douchebag.