Actor, comedian and all-around funny dude, Jamie Kennedy recently dropped a serious dose of nostalgia on Instagram, sharing an old Vans commercial from 1994 that had all the feels of not only ‘90s skate culture, but that place in time just in general.
The best part is, Kennedy captioned the clip with a personal story about where he was at in life when he booked this commercial, which is actually pretty wild. But first thing’s first—press play!
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“I was sleeping in my car for a few month’s and on different couches, when after a 3 min spot The Laugh Factory [Hollywood] new faces night I was asked to audition for a commercial,” Jamie mentioned on Instagram.
“I didn’t get that one but they let me audition for another one, which was played all summer on MTV. Just that one night opened so many doors. Ya neva know. TBT.”
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Related: How Skateboarding to His Audition Landed Breckin Meyer His Classic Role in ‘Clueless’
(Want to hear another classic Hollywood actor-skateboarding story? Tap that post above and learn how skateboarding landed Breckin Meyer his timeless role in Clueless.)
Okay—back to Jamie. It’s wild to think that one stand-up set at the Laugh Factory led to an audition that ultimately landed him a Vans spot. The fact that it ended up running all summer on MTV was really the cherry on top.
I know plenty of you here might not remember (or even know) how impactful MTV was in the ’90s, but it was. I’m not even sure what to compare it to. And what’s even crazier is that acting in commercials was a huge deal back then all the same.
Related: Vans Drops Fresh Spring ’25 Colorways for the Skate Old Skool and Half Cab
Seeing Kennedy in this era, before his Hollywood breakout, is pretty rad. Actually, it’s super rad. You can see hints of the Jamie Kennedy we’ve all grown to know in that goofy little grin. And hey, it is Throwback Thursday, so what better time to dig up a gem like this?
Anyways, I just thought it was a rad story. We love nostalgia. And if anything, let this be a reminder that “ya neva know,” just like Jamie mentioned.
