Jeremy Strong and Ben Affleck poke fun at method acting in Dunkin’ Super Bowl commercial
Jeremy Strong and Ben Affleck have poked fun at method acting in a new Dunkin’ Super Bowl commercial.
The big sporting event took place last night (February 9) at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, where the Kansas City Chiefs went head-to-head with the Philadelphia Eagles, and saw Kendrick Lamar headlining the Halftime Show.
As is tradition, a number of big commercials aired during the Super Bowl, including one for the coffee and doughnut brand, which featured a number of big cameos.
The clip takes place at an event where coffee brands go head-to-head, with Ben Affleck and his brother Casey representing Dunkin’. When a kid expresses disappointment not to see Matt Damon and Tom Brady, Ben declares that they don’t have “the heart of a champion”.
Backstage, Ben goes to inspect a barrel only for Strong to emerge covered in coffee, as the Succession star admits he’s gone method and is “trying to find the character”.
“I’m all in for Dunkin’,” Strong says deadpan, as Casey declares that they should have enlisted Damon.
Dunkin’ later faces off against a brand called Barista Buds, reminiscent of Starbucks, as Ben asks: “How much to wait a half-hour to get my name spelt wrong on the cup?”
The clip also features cameos from Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes in character as Jay and Silent Bob from Clerks, as well as American football coach Bill Belichick and comedian Druski.
Strong – who played Kendall Roy on the HBO drama – is known for employing method acting while working, with Succession co-star Brian Cox (Logan Roy) criticising the idea on a number of occasions.
In 2023, he labelled it “fucking annoying”, and last December he suggested that Strong is “gifted” and wouldn’t “lose” his talent if he stopped. “He was wonderful to act with. I had no argument with Jeremy’s acting,” he told The Guardian. “He would be an even better actor if he just got rid of that so there would be much more inclusiveness in what he did.”
Fellow star Alan Ruck (Connor Roy) also weighed in on the Strong’s choice, telling the Evening Standard in 2023: “Jeremy is very hard on himself. And my personal feeling is that he doesn’t fully trust his talent. I think it could be an easier path for him. But he doesn’t believe it.”
Strong recently earned an Oscar nomination for playing Roy Cohn in Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice.
Meanwhile, Lamar became the first solo rapper to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show last night, which featured spots from SZA, Samuel L Jackson and Serena Williams.
His set featured hits such as ‘Squabble Up’, ‘HUMBLE.’, ‘DNA.’ and ‘Euphoria’, and after teasing for much of the performance, he played his Drake diss track ‘Not Like Us’. Social media was torn on the show, some calling it “the pettiest shit ever”, though others enjoyed Kendrick smiling at the camera while calling out Drake.
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Sam Warner
NME
