Dunkin's Bizarre Grammys Ad, Explained

What do you call "Succession" star Jeremy Strong submerging himself in a vat of brewed coffee grounds? "The Bean Method" — that's the name of the latest Dunkin' commercial that aired during the 2025 Grammys. It's a teaser for the donut chain's upcoming Super Bowl ad, which we can expect to see bring together a new lineup of the DunKings, based on what happens in the teaser.

Dunkin' and Ben Affleck introduced the DunKings — a Dunkin'-themed sort of "boy band" decked out in orange tracksuits — in a teaser during the 2024 Grammy Awards. This latest ad shows Affleck and his actor brother, Casey Affleck, arguing outside of Strong's dressing room. Casey explains that Strong is a "method actor," referring to an acting approach that encourages actors to use their own lived experiences to stimulate their creativity. Casey refers to "the book," presumably meaning Lee Strasburg's "A Dream of Passion: The Development of The Method."

When the brothers enter the room, Strong dramatically emerges from the coffee bean bath, saying he's "trying to find the character." Method actors often immerse themselves in their roles, sometimes going to eccentric lengths and even staying in character outside of filming. Strong has become meme-worthy for his intense acting style and verbose way of speaking. So, we're totally here for him poking fun at himself in this Dunkin' teaser, which makes him an even more "relatable Jeremy Strong" than the memes sardonically mocking his method reputation.

Jeremy Strong raps his ideas for his DunKing character, saying, "I think I've found a way in. You're from Boston, I'm from Boston. Dunkin' is Boston. Boston is Paul Revere, one if by land, two if by sea, Red Coats are coming." Ben Affleck responds in a thick Boston accent, "You're an artist, and I know what that's like, but how long is it gonna take for the bean method?"

We're not sure how Strong's uber-artistic approach will play into the DunKings, but we've got hope that Affleck will pull it off. Dunkin' has an ongoing relationship with the "Good Will Hunting" star — Affleck proved dreams come true in a Super Bowl ad, and Affleck and Ice Spice put their own spin on pumpkin spice season in 2023. The ad is another concept from Artists Equity, a production studio founded by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (who jokingly seemed to be a reluctant member of the DunKing lineup in 2024.)

This Super Bowl ad will be one more in the "Dunkin' Cinematic Universe," which Dunkin' has been building out with celebrity- and pop-culture-based ad spots from Artists Equity. We've seen celebs from Sabrina Carpenter to Kristin Wiig joining in. It's not clear if Matt Damon will return to the DunKings this year, but with star power like Strong, the new ad is sure to be entertaining.