See the hilarious new Anthony Hopkins ad for STōK Cold Brew

There are ads. And then there's art. The new Anthony Hopkins ad for STōK Cold Brew easily qualifies as the latter. In it, the famed Welsh actor is documented during his transformative journey to become... Wrex the Dragon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BYPD8UBczI

What happened: Sir Anthony Hopkins doesn't do ads often. But when he does it's magic. The latest collaboration of the 86-year-old actor is for STōK Cold Brew. Quite a strange choice, isn't it? A relatively unknown cold brew coffee brand isn't the first thing that pops into one's mind when imagining a high-profile advertising cooperation with a two Academy Awards winner.

But then it features Wrexham, the Welsh club notoriously owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and all the dots are connected. It's a Welsh actor starring in an ad about the Welsh football club.

The Anthony Hopkins ad sees the actor preparing for an extremely important role. We see Hannibal star genuinely obsessed with getting it right. The atmosphere is Hamlet-reminiscent, we're having a glimpse into the mind of a "deceiver." But then Sir Anthony Hopkins screams "Hear me roar" with all the fierceness of his decades-long acting career and wears a dragon hat.

Transform he did. Into the Wrex Dragon, the cute red dragon that is the official mascot of Wrexham A.F.C. We then see the mascot doing what the mascot does. He runs around the stadium, cheers fans, and celebrates the goals. We suspect that Anthony Hopkins didn't do that for the video, but who knows? He seemed really committed to the part at the beginning of the ad.

What else: the ad is made for the Super Bowl. It is produced by Maximum Effort, Ryan Reynolds' very own agency in cooperation with Danone Internal Agency and Harvest Creative.

Here's the comment from Brittney Polka, Vice President of Ready-to-Drink Beverages at Danone North America and lead for STōK Cold Brew Coffee: "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. 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 fans have come to expect from STōK."

The fact that it will be aired during the Super Bowl and feature what in the US is called "soccer" and in Wales "football" is another charming aspect of this Anthony Hopkins ad.

Well played, Ryan, well played.