Ben Affleck has declared his love for Dunkin’. During the first commercial break of the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles game, the actor, 50, appeared in a Super Bowl spot for the coffee business.
Affleck portrays a Dunkin’ employee who works in a concealed camera setting, providing refreshments and pastries to unaware visitors. He is working the drive-thru when Jennifer Lopez shows up and makes fun of her husband.
“What are you doing? Is that what you do when you say you’re going to work all day?” she says.
On the Massachusetts set of the movie, produced by the production business Affleck and longtime buddy Matt Damon co-founded Artists Equity in January, Affleck chatted exclusively with PEOPLE.
“I think people already think that I work for Dunkin’,” he says with a laugh. “In Boston, it was such a big deal,” he explains. “I think I became kind of associated with it, and this sounded like a fun opportunity to kind of play with that association and a chance to come back here to shoot it at home in Boston.”
When Affleck was a young boy growing up in New England, he developed a fondness for Dunkin’. “When I was little and played Little League, everyone would head to this location to have coffee and munchkins after the games. It was similar to what everyone else did, “He claims.
As a teenager, he began to consume coffee more frequently because it made him feel “a bit grown-up.” “I think that becomes the thing that you start to do to feel a little bit more sophisticated as you grow to be that sort of, like, teenage, you know, a junior in high school,” Affleck adds. “I recall meeting up for coffee with pals after high school because it was the thing to do.”
“I’ve always connected coffee with the community and chatting to friends—and talks and socializing—and that, in my opinion, is part of the appeal,” he continues.
So what does Affleck usually get for coffee these days? “It’s not that exciting. It consists only of iced coffee, milk, and two sugars, occasionally Splenda, “He says to PEOPLE. If you want to know, sometimes I forget, but I do occasionally have to admit to [drinking] almond milk.
I’m pretty simple, he continues. “I’ll get laughed at for stating this, but I’m basic. If I enjoy something, I always eat the same item for breakfast, drink the same coffee, and get the same bargain. For example, if I know, I’ll always order the same thing at a restaurant; if I like it, I’ll go there again.”
“Why would I change it, I ask myself. I like this a lot. I don’t want to change that for the sake of changing it. Even though I think it’s fantastic that they make all these other blends and other things, I tend to remain with the same coffee that, in a sense, brought me to this place.” Affleck will drink iced coffee every morning, “sometimes two,” he claims. According to the author, coffee is exquisite in its aroma, its texture, and its flavor.