DETROIT — It took some convincing from his wife, Holly, and daughter, Piper, before Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell hesitantly agreed to act in an Applebee’s commercial.
In the end, it was a match made in heaven.
Once Campbell, the 6-foot-5 former NFL tight end, arrived on the set in New Jersey for a one-day shoot in early July, he delivered an ad that is now trending across social media.
“He was so fantastic to work with and was such [a] natural that we did very few takes,” Joel Yashinsky, Applebee’s chief marketing officer, told ESPN. “It concerns me as a Lions fan that he could become an actor if he wanted to because his facial expressions, his body language, his voice, his reactions, his timing … it’s impeccable. He’s a natural.
“He’s as natural an actor almost as much as he’s a natural head football coach in the NFL and that’s why I think people have responded to the ads so well.”
Campbell is featured in a couple of different spots for the brand as part of its ongoing eight-part miniseries called “PRE-SEASONING — An Applebee’s Training Camp,” along with San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy and Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley . Spots will continue to roll out throughout the 2024 NFL season.