Dr. Rick wants to stop you from becoming your parents

nypost.com:

dispensing tough-love wisdom to his clients who can’t stop themselves from imitating their mothers and fathers — whether it’s clapping at the end of a film (“No one who made the movie is here”), telling anyone who will listen about their morning (“You woke up early — no one cares”), stopping themselves from commenting on someone’s blue hair (“We all see it.

We all see it.”) or correcting their placement of pillows on the couch (“If you have nowhere to sit, you have too many”).“I call it a sort of generational triple-dip,” said Bill Glass, 51, the amiable Chicago-area native who’s played Dr.

Rick since the commercials began airing two years ago. “It’s kids looking at their parents and thinking, ‘Oh boy,’ and a parent looking at their parents and going ‘Oh boy.’“There are some people you see or hear who say, ‘You’re making fun’ but there’s no malice intended here,” he said. “This is something we’re all going to do matter what — and whether or not you want to admit it, everybody is going to take a phrase or a habit from their parents, whether they like it or not.”There’s even a book, “Dr.

Rick Will See You Now: A Guide to Un-Becoming Your Parents,” that features Glass (as the good doctor) on its cover.Glass has been acting in commercials for 25 years and has a background in improvisation (Chicago’s Second City and ImprovOlympic troupes), as do the actors who appear with him in the Progressive spots. “I’ve done some other stuff but nothing has gotten quite the response that this has, so it’s kind of neat and lots of fun,” he said. “It’s fun and challenging to make people laugh in a 30-second window.”The ensemble cast is directed by Martin Granger and is based in LA, where they shoot the commercials on location (including a.