Ryan Reynolds revealed how he featured Gwyneth Paltrow in a humorous Astronomer advert shortly after the Coldplay kiss cam scandal in July.
During the concert, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and former HR director Kristin Cabot were caught hugging on kiss cam.
The moment went viral and singer Chris Martin joked that the pair could be having an affair.
After the incident, both Byron and Cabot left the company and just days later, Paltrow, who was previously married to Martin, appeared in a one-minute PSA for Astronomer.
Reynolds, whose company Maximum Effort worked on the ad, told the Wall Street Journal CMO Council Summit that he wanted Paltrow to explain the company’s mission.
“Just 14 hours later I pay for it, [and I didn’t] still have their blessing, but I [knew] that no one at the time… knew what Astronomer does.
So I thought, ‘What if Gwyneth explained?’” Reynolds said.
However, he also added that the ad allowed Astronomer to divert attention from the scandal and focus on its work.
In the PSA, Paltrow sat at a desk as a temporary spokesperson, answering humorous questions while highlighting Astronomer’s services, including data workflow automation, and promoting upcoming events.
Current Astronomer CEO Pete DeJoy described the attention brought to the company as “unusual and surreal,” but said the company remained committed to its employees and customers.
Additionally, after the viral scandal, Byron sold his Tribeca mansion, while Cabot insisted the hug was the only inappropriate act.
