NEED TO KNOW
Timothy Olyphant initially hesitated to star opposite Beyoncé in her Levi’s adThe actor was worried about missing previously planned activities, like ceramics, to make room in his schedule for filming the commercialHis daughter ended up talking him into taking the commercial
Timothy Olyphant got an opportunity that few stars in Hollywood manage to secure — a chance to work with Beyoncé. But the Justified actor nearly turned down the offer until his daughter gave him a push in the right direction.
Olyphant, 57, appeared on the Wednesday, Aug. 23 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he told guest host Nicole Byer that he initially second-guessed starring alongside Beyoncé in her ad for Levi’s Jeans.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“They called and they were like, ‘Hey, Beyoncé is doing this thing.’ No one was sure what the thing was, but they wanted to know if I was free that weekend, and I — and this is not sexy indifference — I was like, ‘I got ceramics… I don’t know,” he recalled of the momentous phone call.
He continued, “My daughter took the phone and said to my agent, ‘Darren, he’s doing it because if he doesn’t, we won’t ever speak to him.’ So I’m glad she said yes. I had a lovely time.”
Timothy Olyphant in Beyonce’s Levi’s Ad.
Beyonce/Youtube
In the advert, the Santa Clarita Diet actor stars as a denim-clad cowboy who hangs out in a dive bar. Beyoncé walks in, and the pair play a game of pool, which she excels at, to his surprise.
After she defeats him, Beyoncé requires Olyphant to drop his Levi’s jeans to the floor and expose his boxer briefs for everyone at the bar to see.
The actor also shared details about his time on set, explaining that being in the pop star’s vicinity gave him instant cool points. “You just stand next to her and you’re like, ‘Look at this, I’m cooler than I was before.’ It was good, I’m glad I did it,” Olyphant told Byer.
“She was lovely. She was so nice,” he added of the 35-time Grammy winner.
Timothy Olyphant in Beyonce’s Levi’s Ad.
Beyonce/Youtube
Despite starring in the Levi’s ad, Olyphant also revealed that he did not go home with any free pairs of jeans.
“True story, just a couple months ago, I was in the Levi’s outlet store shopping. And I thought, ‘What the f— did I miss? How did I end up here? This makes no sense,’ ” he joked. “I was like ‘Wow, 30% off, this is great!’ ”
Olyphant stars in Hulu’s Alien: Earth, which debuted on Aug. 12. New episodes are released on Tuesdays.