Where's the GEICO 'caveman' now? He's teaching in Indiana.

EVANSVILLE — In a way, McManus Woodend had the best of both worlds.

When he became the “Caveman” in GEICO Insurance commercials, he was instantly recognizable.  When he took off his prosthetic makeup, he was virtually incognito.

In fact, some of his friends didn’t believe he really was the GEICO “Caveman.” Saying something like that was in line with his sense of humor, they reasoned. Then he showed them visual proof.

Woodend has appeared in six feature films, but is most famous for his role as the “caveman.” He's now in his first semester as an English instructor at the University of Southern Indiana.

GEICO's caveman had to withstand blizzard, avalanche during filming

He earned the role by beating out approximately 1,000 other actors who auditioned. Woodend was working at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida as a Film Industry Outreach Liaison when he got the “caveman” role and traveled to Homer, Alaska for a shoot in March 2009.

Commercials were filmed with a crew in Homer, Alaska as part of a campaign with the Discovery Channel and its popular show “The Deadliest Catch.” However, a one-week shoot felt like two months – he had to withstand a blizzard and an avalanche.

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Woodend moved to Chicago for a few years but was hardly ever in the Windy City because he was traveling all over the place. He said the facial prosthetic transformation from “normal me” to “super ego me” took three hours and an hour and a half to take it off. When he was in costume it seemed as if he could get away with anything.

“Then I was just like everyone else and that was for the better,” Woodend said.

His first-ever public appearance as the GEICO "Caveman" was at the D.C. Food and Wine Festival and perhaps his most memorable. He had a nice talk with American chef, cookbook author and TV personality Paula Deen.

Putting on a Southern accent imitating Deen, Woodend said she told him, “You’re so lucky. You get to put on your makeup and everybody loves you. You get to do things and have fun. But then you take off your makeup.”

She looked at him with her “saucery blue eyes” and said, “I don’t get to take off my makeup.”

McManus Woodend had a 10-year run as GEICO caveman

Woodend’s 10-year run as the GEICO “Caveman” ended at the 2018 Winter Olympics at Pyeongchang, South Korea.

His most recent journey has taken him to USI. He and his wife, Kelli Lynn, a playwright, had been living in Sarasota, Florida.  A Henderson, Kentucky native, Kelli Lynn wanted to be closer to her family. They have a young son.

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"Up here, we can see family every weekend or every other weekend, especially for her, and I'm fine with that," he said.

Woodend came by the teaching profession honestly — both of his parents were teachers for 30 to 40 years. Although there's a performative aspect to teaching, he’s not pontificating onstage from a large lecture hall. His classes range from 20 to 22 students, just the way he likes it.

"It's definitely in my blood," said Woodend, working on his PhD in literacy and musical and visual thought. "I have a lot of friends in the teaching profession."

Woodend learns from David Lynch

Woodend earned his undergraduate degree in the Film Production and Entertainment Business program from the aforementioned Full Sail University. He became a filmmaking graduate of the David Lynch Graduate School of Cinematic Arts, a part of the Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa.

Living with his wife in Brooklyn, Woodend leaped at the chance to attend Lynch’s school in Iowa: from skyscrapers to cornstalks.

"In southeastern Iowa, there was a whole lot of corn and not a whole lot of people," he said. "It was culture shock, but I welcomed it. I started focusing on my film school career."

Meeting Lynch through a Skype call, Woodend was later part of a group of 20 students who were invited to his studio in Los Angeles.

"He has such an iconic persona," Woodend said. "He sat and answered questions in a thoughtful manner. Speaking with him was pretty amazing. He was approachable and engaging with the world. At the same time, he has a streak, a little bit of bad boy in him, in a good way, of course."

One of Woodend's childhood heroes, Lynch co-created and directed the TV show “Twin Peaks,” which became a cult sensation in the early 1990s. He also directed movies such as “Blue Velvet,” “Wild at Heart,” "Mulholland Drive," “Lost Highway” and so many more.

Despite his parents' objections, Woodend was bound and determined to watch the original "Twin Peaks." So he got creative, using rabbit ears to tune his three-inch black and white Sony Watchman to the show. He put the covers over his head in his bed, so his parents theoretically wouldn't know what he was doing.

Humble beginnings

Woodend always had the acting bug. Living in Mount Clemens, Michigan, at age 10, he tried out in a Nickelodeon talent search, but wasn’t selected. He was undeterred.

Already participating in youth community theater, Woodend "just wanted to go out and have fun and be a kid" during the Nickelodeon audition. His family moved around a lot when he was young.

"I spent the majority of my life a Florida boy, but not as a Florida man," he said.

Only 42, Woodend considers himself semi-retired from acting. But he was just been approached about appearing at the Raptor Con Pop Culture and Geek Convention Dec. 10-11 at the National Guard Armory, where pictures would be taken and he would sign autographs.

"I'm probably going to do it," Woodend said.

Contact Gordon Engelhardt via email at Gordon.engelhardt@courierpress.com or on Twitter @EngGordon

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Once GEICO's 'Caveman' Woodend's new role is as USI English professor