It's interesting to see the effect that a good commercial role can have on an actor's profile. You recognize Dean Winters, who does indeed play an embodied version of "Mayhem" in a series of insurance commercials, before you recognize his "Battle Creek" co-star, Josh Duhamel, who is arguably the bigger star.

Duhamel has certainly had what the industry considers to be bigger roles. He co-starred in the hugely successful big-screen "Transformers" movies (in 2007, 2009 and 2011) and also played the lead in a number of romantic comedies, including the titular Tad Hamilton in "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton" (2004).

He also had a leading role in the hit TV drama "Las Vegas" from 2003 to 2008.

However, he hasn't had a TV ad go viral the way Winters has.

"My mom calls me Mayhem," Winters admitted to "The Huffington Post" in an interview earlier this year.

This is not to say that Winters hasn't had film or series-TV roles as well. He's most recognizable as Liz's on-again, off-again boyfriend Dennis on "30 Rock" or as Ryan O'Reilly on the gritty HBO prison drama "Oz," on which he starred from 1997 to 2003.

Successful as those were, he figures that it was the Mayhem commercials that led "Battle Creek" producers Vince Gilligan and David Shore to cast him in his new gig.

"I'm assuming Vince and David, when they were looking for someone for this part, I'm sure the Mayhem thing came into play. I know that they were big 'Oz' and '30 Rock' fans, but the Mayhem thing has become its own kind of entity -- it took on a life of its own."

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