Anthony hopkins becomes the mascot for ryan reynolds’s wrexham afc in stōk’s super bowl commercial

STōK's Super Bowl commercial isn't about the football you would expect. On American football's biggest night, Sir Anthony Hopkins will celebrate Wrexham AFC, the Welsh soccer

(er, football) team owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Hopkins transforms into Wrexham's mascot, Wrex the Dragon, for the big game spot (above) created by Reynolds's

Maximum Effort production company. "To act is to deceive," says Hopkins. "But, to become this beast well, that requires a little extra kick." "Now, hear me

roar," the actor, 86, continues in the commercial before putting on the head of the dragon. NEVER MISS A STORY — SIGN UP FOR PEOPLE'S FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER TO STAY UP-TO-DATE ON

THE BEST OF WHAT PEOPLE HAS TO OFFER, FROM CELEBRITY NEWS TO COMPELLING HUMAN INTEREST STORIES. Once in full costume, he is seen interacting with fans on the field. Hopkins's voice

booms: "This is what they came to see. They love me! Roar!" In the final scene, Hopkins confesses, "Ironically it is the cold brew that births the fire-breathing dragon."

He sips a big glass of STōK's cold brew in a locker room before being warned by a voice off-screen that the second half of the game is about to start. “People are used to seeing brew

commercials during the Big Game, but I don’t think they expect it to be cold brew, let alone a cold brew coffee brand celebrating a Welsh soccer team,” said STōK's Brittney Polka in a

statement. The vice president of ready-to-drink beverages at Danone North America continued: “STōK isn’t afraid to make bold moves and challenge the norms of traditional marketing.

Partnering with Sir Anthony Hopkins to bring Wrexham AFC to [American] football’s biggest stage is exactly the kind of bold act that fans have come to expect from STōK." As for the

soccer team, it gained notoriety around the world when Reynolds, 47, bought it in 2021 along with fellow actor McElhenney, who has starred in 16 seasons of the FX show _It's Always

Sunny In Philidelphia_. STōK is the official stadium sponsor of Wrexham AFC. The team is the subject of the 2022 FX documentary _Welcome to Wrexham_. STōK's commercial will air during

the Super Bowl when the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers face off. Super Bowl LVIII is on CBS on Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET.