Why The Actors In Ritz's 2025 Super Bowl Commercial Look So Familiar
Ritz Crackers is debuting a new commercial during the 2025 Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles — and it stars two of the saltiest actors around.
Set in the (obviously fictional) Salt Club in the (real) Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, we see Aubrey Plaza and Michael Shannon playing themselves as two members of the apparently exclusive club, where only the saltiest people are welcome. "When I smile, people assume it's a glitch," Shannon deadpans to Plaza, who responds, "Please. I'm the human version of Monday." (She also hisses at Shannon for good measure.) After that, they help themselves to some Ritz crackers. "Why is Ritz so good? It's annoying," Plaza rhetorically asks as Shannon holds one up for a closer look and calls them "buttery, salty show-offs." Unfortunately for the two misanthropes, Bad Bunny is there and visibly enjoying himself — completely ignoring the "No Smiles Allowed" sign that Shannon points out.
Aside from Bad Bunny — one of the biggest musical acts on the planet right now — you probably have some familiarity with Plaza and Shannon, who have decades of acting experience between them. But where, specifically, have you seen them before? From blockbuster films to beloved TV mockumentaries to hugely popular prestige dramas, here's why Aubrey Plaza and Michael Shannon look so familiar.
Aubrey Plaza is a small-screen staple who's also appeared in tons of independent films
Aubrey Plaza has, throughout the years, built up a reputation for being a deadpan, sarcastic performer — and while you might think that would pigeonhole her as far as roles are concerned, the actress has actually performed in an incredibly varied number of projects. She rose to prominence thanks to her role as April Ludgate, the world's least motivated Parks department intern, on the hit NBC show "Parks and Recreation" alongside Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, and Chris Pratt; she also appeared in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" early in her career (as did a ton of other future superstars). Throughout smaller independent films like "The To Do List," "Life After Beth," "The Little Hours," "Ingrid Goes West," and "Black Bear," Plaza proved that she has a ton of range ... and recent hits like "Happiest Season" and "Emily Criminal" just confirmed that.
In 2022, Plaza joined the ensemble cast of the second season of Mike White's critical darling "The White Lotus," earning an Emmy nomination for her role as the uptight yet brilliant Harper Spiller; two years later she had an absolute blast in another major small-screen role as Rio Vidal, or Death herself, on the Marvel Cinematic Universe series "Agatha All Along." On the big screen, Plaza had two films release in 2024 — the small heartfelt comedy "My Old Ass" and Francis Ford Coppola's fever-dream misfire "Megalopolis" — and there's no question that we can still expect great things from the actress, who has also moved into producing in recent years through her company Evil Hag Productions.
Michael Shannon is known for playing particularly intense roles
As for Michael Shannon, he has, quite frankly, made a career out of playing extremely intense and often frightening characters on-screen. After getting his start in the classic comedy "Groundhog Day" (no, really), and after years of supporting roles in films, Shannon earned an Academy Award nomination for his bombshell performance in 2008's "Revolutionary Road" alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, and Kathy Bates, the last of whom played Shannon's mother. A few years later in 2011, Shannon led the gripping film "Take Shelter" — marking yet another collaboration with director Jeff Nichols, who would go on to cast Shannon in projects like "Mud," "Midnight Special," and "Loving" — and in 2013, he pretty infamously played General Zod in "Man of Steel." (He did go on to reprise the role in "The Flash" in 2023).
On the small screen, Shannon has appeared in shows like "Boardwalk Empire," "Nine Perfect Strangers," and "George & Tammy," and in recent years, he's shown up in movies like "The Shape of Water," "Knives Out" (the first one), "Bullet Train," "Amsterdam," "The Bikeriders," and even in a cameo in the 2024 critical favorite "A Different Man."
Kickoff for Super Bowl LIX is at 6:30 PM EST, and you can catch this Ritz commercial during the big game.