The 'Argo' star says he's still fighting to get outtakes of his interesting interactions with 'agitated' customers released, while Dunkin' also has a scripted ad featuring the actor that will air in coming weeks.
- Feb 15, 2023
AceShowbiz - No one expected to see Ben Affleck behind a drive-through window at Dunkin' Donuts that Tuesday morning in January and people understandably had mixed reactions to his surprise appearance. The actor has now revealed that he faced "colorful" backlash from "agitated" people who slammed his "inept" service while filming the Super Bowl ad for the chain.
The 50-year-old opened up about his experience working at a Dunkin' drive-through in Medford, Massachusetts in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "It's Boston, after all, so we had some rather coarse and agitated people who were willing to voice their displeasure in a colorful way," he said of people's reactions.
He added that he's trying to get outtakes of his "most interesting" interactions with customers released. "I'm still lobbying to include the most interesting of those in some of the edgiest social spots," the husband of Jennifer Lopez claimed.
Also speaking to the news outlet, Dunkin' Chief Marketing Officer Jill McVicar Nelson said the chain's marketing strategy aims to maintain Dunkin's relevance by inserting itself into conversations about popular culture. "We thought, who better to represent [our menu] than the ultimate Dunkin' runner, Ben Affleck?" she shared.
Dunkin' originally pitched an ad that would have featured Ben visiting the company's corporate boardroom, but the star proposed that his newly launched production company Artists Equity film both a scripted ad and the unscripted stint at the drive-through.
Dunkin' hadn't planned to buy a Super Bowl ad until seeing footage from the actor's drive-through stunt. The chain will also air the scripted ad in coming weeks, said a company spokesman.
Meanwhile, Dunkin' has released funny outtakes of the ad on its YouTube page.
Previously, Ben was described as "quick-witted and funny" by a fan who encountered the star at a Dunkin' drive-through in his native Boston on January 10. "He was very, very funny, super, super friendly and just super nice," the 54-year-old fan gushed about the star, "and of course still has a Boston accent."
Ben's wife J.Lo also made an appearance in the ad after the Oscar winner proposed the idea. He was reportedly paid "over $10 million" for starring in the ad, while his wife earned "just over a $1 million" for her appearance in the Super Bowl commercial.
