Jen Affleck from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives made her acting debut in a Dunkin’ Donuts ad, alongside her cousin actor, Academy Award winner Ben Affleck, just ahead of her debut on Dancing With the Stars.
We LOVE this for Jen!
Not cousins, but fam:
Jen told Us Weekly, “I don’t know if he’s watched the show. But his daughter has.”
“His daughter was there and she’s a huge fan. She’s like, ‘It’s OK, we can be related. As long as I’m related to Jen, we’re chilling,’” gushed the MomToker.
Jen is on cloud nine, but she’s not delulu. “I’m sure his team told him about [TSLOMW], and he’s like, ‘Who the heck is she? I don’t know who this is.’”
“But, hey, it led me to doing a commercial with him. So, I’m happy.”
I couldn’t help but wonder, did Jen get a SAG card for this ….
“It was a full-on shoot,” explained Jen. “I had a whole script.”
“It was my first acting gig, honestly. I didn’t know my first acting gig would be with an Oscar-winning actor.” Fact check – Ben Affleck has Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Screenplay, not acting.
In the commercial, which promoted Dunkin’s $6 deal, Jen picked up an order meant for the Oscar winner. “Expecting my cousin Ben? Nah.”
“When Dunkin’ has something packed with amazing value, they bring me in.” She broke the fourth wall to introduce herself and make a joke at her own expense. “Jen Affleck: the value Affleck. Twice the personality, half the price. I am a steal.”
Jen went on to roast Ben. “Why overpay for something that nobody wants? He’s so dated. I’m younger [and] hotter. Can you believe Ben is only 53? And it’s not like a young 53. It’s like a weathered 53.”
The camera then panned over to Ben, who was waiting to pick up his order at the drive-thru. “Rude. [I’m a] totally average 53. Right down the 53 fairway.”
In a confessional, Jen admitted the meeting was “bad” but kept poking fun at the actor, saying, “But not as bad as those grays.”
Re: Jen’s (debunked) claim that Ben Affleck is her husband’s cousin …
Ben and Jen’s collaboration is a nod to Jen and husband Zac Affleck discussing their potential relation to Ben on TSLOMMW. Jen made the claim during season 1, but Zac has since attempted to walk it back.
“We’re tight now,” Jen joked after filming ad. “I got the opportunity to do a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial — and we all know that’s his thing. It was so fun. It was like we were family.”
Jen and Zac “were definitely starstruck” meeting Ben. “We were all freaking out.”
“He was so nice. I was not expecting how nice he was.”
