The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t the only returnees to the Super Bowl.
Bradley Cooper and his mother, who last year raised eyebrows with a no-frills commercial for T-Mobile, are making a new play. In their 2024 effort, the actor and his mother are among a bevy of famous faces auditioning for “magenta status,” a membership perks-and-discounts plan. Laura Dern, Gabriel Macht, Common, Patrick J. Adams and Jennifer Hudson are among those trying to win the rewards.
Participants in the commercial were “thinking about all that every actor has ever gone through auditioning,” says Dern, via emailed comments and “just enjoyed making each other laugh.” The concept, she adds, was devised by “my dear buddies Bradley and Gloria Cooper and our mutual friend Brian Klugman” an executive at Panay Films, which worked on the campaign. The idea ” made us all laugh and it was a delight to dream up something fun and sweet amidst a favorite American pastime, the Super Bowl.”
The spot marks the return of the “Maestro” and “Silver Linings Playbook” star to T-Mobile’s marketing efforts. Last year, he and his mother appeared in a spot in which she offered a number of unfiltered comments about her son’s acting ability, telling him that “You look like a flamingo” in one of the telecommunications provider’s brightly-colored T-shirts.
The ad marked Cooper’s first turn acting in a Super Bowl commercial and is believed to be his first work in a national ad campaign.
The commercial was created and produced by Panay Films. The company’s founder. Andrew Panay, helped create and produce 2005’s “Wedding Crashers,” which featured Cooper as the antagonistic Sack Lodge. Brian Klugman, the head of creative for Panay Films, wrote and directed 2012’s “The Words,” which starred Cooper.
T-Mobile is running another ad in CBS’ February 11 broadcast of the NFL showdown between the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. That spot stars Jason Momoa, Zach Braff and Donald Faison, all of whom are put through their paces to the tune of “Flashdance…What A Feeling.”
