Mattress Firm's Creepy Junk-Sleeper Haunts an All-Night Diner

In his war on “Junk Sleep,” Liev Schrieber never rests.

The Ray Donovan star returns today in a :60 for Mattress Firm, reprising his droll, deadpan delivery from ads that broke last summer.

Once more, surreal humor rules the night, as he hangs out at an NYC greasy spoon with “Joanne,” who, we’re told, hasn’t slept well in weeks owing to her “lousy bed.”

The vibe gets all Twin Peaks/Stranger Things real fast, as Joanne binges on breakfast platters, chats with a pigeon about career moves, and helps some ski-masked baddies rob the register.

“Don’t let Junk Sleep lead you to a life of crime,” Schrieber concludes, as Joanne floats gently into a comfy bed. “Go see the sleep experts at Mattress Firm. They train over 200 hours to find the perfect mattress for you. Because better sleep adds up to a better everything.”

With her wan complexion and drowsy demeanor, actress Grace Rex nails it as Joanne, and she nearly steals the show.

“She was actually the first to audition,” Droga5 creative director Tobias Carlson tells Muse. “She just has this effortless quality to her—equally at ease dozing off at the counter as she is robbing the diner with a spoon. Just perfect.”

Indeed, her performance might keep Jennifer Aniston awake at night, tossing and turning with envy. (Though probably not.)

Schrieber’s compassionate-tough-guy routine also scores, and Prettybird’s Tom Noakes directs with a gauzy flourish that holds it all together. Extra props for that retro Kit-Kat Klock with bloodshot eyeballs—a disturbingly dreamy detail!

CREDITS

Client Mattress Firm
Campaign Junk Sleep
Title Spiral in the Diner (:60, :30, :15, :06)
Launch Date Feb 3, 2020

Agency Droga5 NY
Co-Chief Creative Officers Tim Gordon & Felix Richter
Executive Creative Director Tara Lawall
Creative Director Jonas Wittenmark
Creative Director Tobias Carlson
Art Director Eve Nova
Copywriter Juan Camillo Garza
Senior Art Director Justin Luu
Senior Copywriter Lorne Heller
Co-Director of Film & Content Production Jesse Brihn
Executive Producer, Film Jeremy Fox
Executive Producer, Film Seth Tabor
Head of Art Production Cliff Lewis
Art Producer Caroline Fahey
Print Producer Abe Nowels
Director of Integrated Business Affairs Dan Simonetti
Celeb Talent Relations & Sr. Bus. Affairs Mgr Sunny Valencia
Senior Business Affairs Mgr. Paul Van Dorpe
Design Director Erin McCarthy
Sr. Designer Alex Vitela
Designer Daniel Seong
Brand Strategy Director Gideon Olshansky
Group Communications Strategy Director Leigha Baugham
Communications Strategy Director Lizzie Manning
Senior Communications Strategist Emily Banaszynski
Group Data Strategy Director Anthony Khaykin
Data Strategist Erik Smith
Executive Group Account Director Frank Renwick
Group Account Director Caitlin Patrick
Account Director Nivie Roberts
Account Supervisor Clare Driggs
Associate Account Manager Leon Brewington Jr.
Sr Project Manager Alex Robinson
Project Manager Andrew Doren

Client Mattress Firm
Chief Executive Officer John Eck
SVP Brand Marketing Sam Bennett
Sr. Director Brand Marketing Kelly Shannon
Sr. Brand Manager Hannah Miller

Production Company Prettybird
President/EP Ali Brown
Director Tom Noakes
Producer Matt Wersinger
Production Supervisor Moira Hurley
Casting Director David Vaccari
DP Chayse Irvin
Production Designer Latisha Duarte
Stylist Cherish Cullison
AD Todd Kaufman

Editorial Exile Edit
Editor Pete Sciberras
Editor Travis Moore
Assistant Editor Evan Fredriksen
Producer Samantha Axelrod
EP Sasha Hirschfeld
HOP Evyn Bruce

Color Grade Company3
Colorist Tim Masick
Color Assistant Ryan Moncrief
Color Producer Kevin Breheny

Post Production & Visual Effects Parliament

Music Human
Creative Direction (Music) Matthew O’Malley, Andrew Bloch
Composer (Spiral In the Diner) Jonathan Russell
Production James Dean Wells, Kenzo Perron

Sound Heard City
Sound Designer Phil Loeb
Audio Mixer/s Phil Loeb and Eric Warzecha
Assistant Engineer/s Virginia Wright, Ronnie Stapleton, Seth Brogdon, Chenoa Tarin, Zoltan Monori
Managing Director/Partner Gloria Pitagorsky
Executive Producers Sasha Awn, Jackie James
Senior Producer Liana Rosenberg
Producer Nick Duvarney
Assistant Producer Dylan Stetson