Reginald VelJohnson is known for an array of projects ranging from Die Hard and Family Matters to the original Turner & Hooch and its Disney+ reboot, and now you can catch him in a delightful music video called “A Nutty Christmas” for Planters. In honor of the new ad, which also features VelJohnson weighing in on the classic Die Hard Christmas movie debate, ComicBook.com recently spoke with the veteran actor. VelJohnson opened up about the holidays and making the ’80s’themed video, which you watch at the top of the page.
“Well, they asked me to do it and I said yes because I love Planters’ peanuts, I happen to always eat them and so when they asked me, I was very happy to come on board and support them. I love it. It’s one thing where, when you love the product and I actually love the product and I guess they heard that I love the product and so they asked me to do it and I said yes,” VelJohnson explained when asked about his partnership with Planters. “Don’t want to endorse something I don’t like, that’d be kind of fake. I really do like Planters’ peanuts. I always have them around the house and I have two cans downstairs in my cabinet right now. What I like to do, I like to heat them up in the microwave and get them hot and eat them with that. That’s how I eat them.”
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“Yes, I did,” VelJohnson replied when we asked if he had any say in his ’80s suit for the ad. “I did have something that I wanted to be sure that it fit, so they had me in different colors and whatnot, and then we settled on the white suit, it was kind of nice. I enjoyed what I had on and stuff like that. I wanted to be sure I looked right.” He added, “I didn’t get to keep the suit, but I’m going to get one just like it.”
“I’ve always had a hard time singing,” the actor shared. “I did a couple of Broadway shows, but I had a couple of songs and everything, but whenever I have to sing I have to work really hard at the song, but the Planters peanuts song was kind of nice and fun. And so I realized that when I had fun singing it, that made it best. That was the good thing about it. So I tried to enjoy the lyrics and enjoy the song. But I’m not really a singer. My brother’s a singer. I’m not a singer. But I put that all into it.”
“Just being at home with my friends and my dogs and whatnot, and just kind of quietly enjoying bringing in the holiday season,” VelJohnson shared when asked about his holiday plans (for those who are wondering, he has two pugs!). “I haven’t had a Christmas tree up in a long, long time. But I was thinking about putting one up, I was going to do that. I don’t know, holidays are special to me. And I kind of spend them with family and friends and whatnot. And as long as I can get together with family and friends, I’m okay.”
Stay tuned for more from our interview with Reginald VelJohnson where he talks about Die Hard, the fate of Disney+’s Turner & Hooch series, and working with the Russo Brothers on Avengers: Endgame.
