Apart from excelling in playing the wisecracking fourth-wall-breaking Deadpool and handling his football club Wrexham A.F.C., the other thing that Ryan Reynolds excels at is creating ads. Since the launch of his creative agency Maximum Effort, the Deadpool Star has been rocking the world of commercials, with the Mint Mobile and the Aviation Gin ads being some of the best.
And with the recent Lays ad, Reynolds and Co. did it again, as the commercials brought back Stephen Tobolowsky to recapture the feel of the 1993 classic Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray.
Stephen Tobolowsky Finds Himself Stuck in the Endless Loop of Lays Commercials
While having fans glued to ads is incredibly challenging, it’s not that hard when Ryan Reynolds and Maximum Effort are behind, and similar is the case with the ads for Lays. With Stephen Tobolowsky back as his character from the Bill Murray-led film, where he played the insurance agent Ned Ryerson, the commercial takes direct inspiration from the acclaimed film. But instead of Murray getting stuck in the time loop that results in him living the same day, it’s now Tobolowsky’s Ned, who finds himself stuck in a grocery store with different flavors of Lays.
Accompanied by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Star Artemis Pebdani, who plays the joyful cashier, Tobolowsky keeps feeling a creepy sense of déjà vu in each subsequent ad. These extremely well-crafted ads were set to run for a total of 75 times on Groundhound Day, a third of ABC’s commercial inventory, which fans seem to can’t get enough of, thanks to Reynolds and his agency.
Ryan Reynolds Brought in Sir Anthony Hopkins for Another Hilarious Commercial
Having major actors star in unconventional ads is the least unconventional thing fans have come to expect from Ryan Reynolds, as the Deadpool Star also brings in Sir Anthony Hopkins into the mix. In the Super Bowl commercial for STōK Cold Brew, Sir Anthony Hopkins hilarious transforms himself into Wrex the Dragon, as he brings his acting chops to do the hilarious part justice. Directed by Bryan Rowland, the director uses Sir Hopkins’s seriousness to create comedic effects as the commercial slowly leans from being dramatic to hilarious after the actor puts on the mascot mask.
“To act is to deceive. And to deceive, one must forget oneself. Every metamorphosis is demanding, but to become this beast — well, that requires a little extra kick… Now, hear me roar!” as Sir Hopkins puts on the Mascot’s head. “This is what they came to see! They love me!.. Ironically, it is the cold brew that births the fire-breathing dragon,”
It’s evident Ryan Reynolds wholeheartedly enjoys making these ads, which are often too good then they need to be, thus keeping fans glued, which is unheard of when it comes to commercials.
