Ben Affleck has cut a serious and sometimes dour figure in recent years, but he’s starting to lighten up at last – and plotting a potential return to his comedy roots – a source exclusively reveals to In Touch.
“The funniest Ben has been in twenty years is in that commercial – he effectively won the Super Bowl and he did it alongside his best friend Matt Damon, his wife Jennifer Lopez and his ultimate idol Tom Brady.”
Ben, 52, unleashed his silly side while wearing a full Dunkin’ Donuts tracksuit in the commercial for the coffee giant that aired during Super Bowl LVIII in February.
The Gone Girl actor seemed to drop his exasperated demeanor for just a few minutes in the short ad for the company’s new promotion, labeling him, Matt Damon and Tom Brady “DunKings.”
“You could not have asked for things to go better than they did with that risky, expensive advertising campaign,” the source adds.
Now that the public’s reaction to the A-lister’s antics in the commercial has landed, Ben is looking to keep the good times rolling.
“It has completely re-awakened interest in Ben as a comedy star, which is where he started out in raunchy nineties comedies like Dazed and Confused, Mallrats, Chasing Amy and Dogma.”
It’s been decades since Ben made the shift to serious drama and thrillers in his career, but the Oscar winner hasn’t forgotten where he came from or what got him started in show business.
“People totally forget that this is where this guy got his start, making people laugh with his humanity and heart,” the insider says.
“Even in a heavy, serious drama like his breakout Good Will Hunting, Ben was the by far funniest guy in that movie, and that movie had Robin Williams in it!”
“Ben has been tempted back into comedy before – he was one of the first choices for the role Bradley Cooper eventually took in the Hangover franchise, but his two-decade swerve into action movies, thrillers and extremely serious dramas is starting to look like a wrong turn and comedy is calling him back.”
Ben’s last movie, Air, moved away from the more serious and dramatic tone of his most popular movies as it told the true story of the Air Jordan line of basketball shoes, signaling a shift in the actor’s mindset and career trajectory in Hollywood.
The source adds: “While his 2023 movie Air was a lighthearted true story and full of laughs, the DunKing’s spot was the game changer that just might have blown open a whole new revenue stream for Ben.”
The Hollywood Hunk reportedly made $10 million to endorse Dunkin’ – enough to make just about anyone laugh – with the exact figure for his blowout Super Bowl spot remaining a mystery.
Still, Ben loves to play the gag man as much as the straight man, at least in his movies.
“Here’s the problem: Ben loves drama and loves writing and directing suspense thrillers and his immediate plan is to make more of them.”
“But with his new studio, Artists Equity, and their serious financial resources, he has the money to get some comedy scripts going.”
