Adrien Brody Acts Up for TurboTax

Is there a method to his madness?

Adrien Brody’s got a pair of Oscars on his shelf. So, when TurboTax cast him in its latest Super Bowl commercial, there’s no doubt he could handle it. In fact, he says so in this trailer, over and over, squeezing every drop of hammy nuance from an assuredly silly performance:

Dude must’ve studied with Shatner. Such range!

TT will make its 13th consecutive SB appearance, with Brody’s :45 airing just before halftime. There’s a :30 pre-game commercial, too.

“The concept behind this year’s spot is that taxes can be pure drama,” TurboTax says in campaign materials. “They make people want to pull out their hair, scream, maybe even cry a little. Which sounds perfect for a dramatic actor like Adrien Brody, who’s eager to sink his teeth into the emotional agony of tax season.”

However, “when Adrien signs on to play TurboTax expert ‘Janet’—expecting a challenging role full of anxiety, tension and all the drama that comes with doing your taxes—he learns TurboTax experts make it all too easy. They don’t do drama. They just do your taxes.”

R/GA helped develop the approach, with Craig Gillespie directing.