Bill O’Neill is an actor and clown from Los Angeles whom you may recognize most readily from his frequent appearances in commercials as a Wendy’s employee. But O’Neill’s career goes back to his early teen years, when he scored a major speaking role in the 2008 film, Drillbit Taylor. A member of L.A.’s burgeoning clown community, he co-starred with his fellow clowns in the 2019 late-night FX series, Two Pink Doors. Last year, one of those clowns, Natalie Palamides, helped direct O’Neill’s latest project, The Amazing Banana Brothers, which took the Edinburgh Fringe by storm and earned him a nomination for Best Newcomer of 2023.
O’Neill spoke to me over Zoom as he prepared to take the show to New York City for a limited off-Broadway run in March 2024.
See Bill O’Neill in The Amazing Banana Brothers at SoHo Playhouse on March 5-6, 2024.
There’s a lot to get to, so let’s get to it!
He was only 13 when an agent approached Bill and his parents to suggest he audition for a feature film. O’Neill auditioned for all three of the main kid parts in Drillbit Taylor, and despite not landing those roles, he said director Steven Brill vowed to write a part in the film just for him. That’s how “Dean” entered the picture, so to speak. His character is often in the center of the frame and just to the side or behind the main kids, providing commentary and/or recording incidents on his flip phone.
About a decade later, O’Neill found his way to Dr. Brown’s clown community in Los Angeles. His first one-hander via clowning was a musical, Baby Goes To Factory.
Wendy’s has been in the news this week for reports that the fast-food giant wants to introduce dynamic pricing. Meanwhile, O’Neill has starred for years in TV ads as a fictional employee named Tyler. This is the newest one you may have seen more than once or twice on your TVs, where he’s plugging the $5 Biggie Bag in song.
O’Neill told me he has played “Tyler” for long enough now that when the company sent him to an Ohio State football game (because Wendy’s started in Columbus), he could only roam through the tailgate unnoticed until he put on the Wendy’s visor. Then all eyes were on him!
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