Who are the actors in the Dovato commercial?

Q: Who are the actors in the Dovato commercial?

Three real-life patients feature in the Dovato commercial “Detect This” released on May 23, 2022. They are Jovon [surname withheld], Ann Edwards, and Armando [surname withheld].

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 4, 2024.

Official Answer by Drugs.com

Three real-life patients feature in the Dovato commercial “Detect This” released on May 23, 2022. They are Jovon [surname withheld], Ann Edwards, and Armando [surname withheld].

Jovon [surname withheld] (with a long beard) is a young Black man and HIV patient who switched to Dovato. Jovon is not a commercial actor but was compensated by Viiv Healthcare for his role in the commercial.

Ann Edwards (old lady/grandma) contacted Viiv directly and offered to be part of the brand’s marketing. As a 75-year-old heterosexual white woman who has been living with HIV since 1998, she didn’t fit the profile of a typical person living with HIV, which was her point of volunteering for the TV commercial. Ann is not a commercial actor but was compensated by Viiv Healthcare for her role in the commercial.

Armando [surname withheld], is a Hispanic man who describes himself as a foodie and is shown hosting a dinner at his house on the commercial. Armando is not an actor but was compensated by Viiv Healthcare for his role in the advertisement.

Alphonso Mills (attractive black gay man with dreadlocks) was the actor in the previous Dovato commercial “More to me; Alphonso" which was released on January 26, 2020. He is a real-life patient who has hired for the ad after becoming a Patient Ambassador for people living with HIV. The shoot took place in Los Angeles, CA, and was spread out over a couple of days. Alphonso was born in 1991.

References

Meet Alphonso Mills: The Man Behind the HIV Treatment Commercial. May 5, 2020. Living out Loud 2.0 https://www.livingoutloud20.com/post/meet-alphonso-mills-the-man-behind-the-dovato-commercial
The Queer Love Story of Alphonso & Ja’Mel. Dec 8, 2020. The Reckoning. https://www.thereckoningmag.com/the-reckoning-blog/the-queer-love-story-of-alphonso-amp-jamel
Real stories. Dovato https://www.dovato.com/real-stories/
Adams B. July 11, 2022. Fierce Pharma Viiv wants HIV patients to 'detect this' as it launches new Dovato TV ad https://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/viiv-wants-hiv-patients-detect-it-launches-new-dovato-tv-ad

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