John Candy in 1991 (left) and Christopher Candy in the DunKings 2 Super Bowl commercial in 2025.Photo:Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty; Dunkin'/YouTube
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty; Dunkin’/YouTube
The buzz aboutDunkin’s 2025 Super Bowl admay have been around surprise starJeremy Strong, but there was another VIP among the cast, too.Christopher Candy, son of the late John Candy, was a member of the “burger chain gang,” herevealed to TMZ in an interviewon Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Catch him in theseven-minute short film versionaround the 3:10 mark below.)“It was just kind of in the flow of normal commercial auditions,” the 40-year-old told the outlet of how he ended up in the ad. “At the time I knew it was for Dunkin' but I didn’t actually put together that it was a Super Bowl spot.“He found out he landed the part on New Year’s Eve, but then theLos Angeles wildfiresstarted, delaying the shoot.When the cast finally got together to film, Candy noticed “all of this high-level security and they’re putting these stickers on the back of your phone,” he said. That is when he realized, " ‘Oh, this is a giant Super Bowl spot,’ " he said.Once he hit the set, he got to see directorBen Affleckin action, and noted he did “a great job. It was really fun to watch him work.“Despite Affleck’s full plate of starring in and directing the spot, Candy was able to sneak in a quick hello. “Super sweet guy, really lovely,” he said. But otherwise Candy flew under the radar — that is, until some of his fellow burger chain gang members realized who he was.“We were chatting about my father and they were just super big fans,” he shared of his dad, who died at 43 years old on March 4, 1994. “It was nice to trade stories with them.“Candy mused that his dad would’ve been proud of his Super Bowl spot. “I can only imagine he would be going, ‘I’m glad you’re working,’ " the younger Candy said with a laugh.That is, with one Canadian caveat. “I’m going to have to go country line here,” Candy said, “and say he was probably more of a Tim Hortons fan than a Dunkin' fan.” (The elder Candy was born in Toronto.)In October 2022, PEOPLE confirmed that the Candy family is working withRyan ReynoldsandColin Hankson a documentary about the late comedian’s legacy through Reynolds' Maximum Effort production company.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“The Candy family is giving Maximum Effortaccess to his archive and home video footage,” a rep for Reynolds told PEOPLE of Christopher and sister Jennifer, plus the comedian’s wife Rosemary.Reynolds made the announcement after Candy began trending on X (then Twitter) ahead of thePlanes, Trains and Automobiles4K re-release.“With John Candy trending,I’ll just say I love him,” Reynolds wrote on X. “So much so, @maximumeffort is working on a documentary on his life with @colinhanks. Expect tears.”
The buzz aboutDunkin’s 2025 Super Bowl admay have been around surprise starJeremy Strong, but there was another VIP among the cast, too.
Christopher Candy, son of the late John Candy, was a member of the “burger chain gang,” herevealed to TMZ in an interviewon Tuesday, Feb. 10. (Catch him in theseven-minute short film versionaround the 3:10 mark below.)
“It was just kind of in the flow of normal commercial auditions,” the 40-year-old told the outlet of how he ended up in the ad. “At the time I knew it was for Dunkin' but I didn’t actually put together that it was a Super Bowl spot.”
He found out he landed the part on New Year’s Eve, but then theLos Angeles wildfiresstarted, delaying the shoot.
When the cast finally got together to film, Candy noticed “all of this high-level security and they’re putting these stickers on the back of your phone,” he said. That is when he realized, " ‘Oh, this is a giant Super Bowl spot,’ " he said.
Once he hit the set, he got to see directorBen Affleckin action, and noted he did “a great job. It was really fun to watch him work.”
Despite Affleck’s full plate of starring in and directing the spot, Candy was able to sneak in a quick hello. “Super sweet guy, really lovely,” he said. But otherwise Candy flew under the radar — that is, until some of his fellow burger chain gang members realized who he was.
“We were chatting about my father and they were just super big fans,” he shared of his dad, who died at 43 years old on March 4, 1994. “It was nice to trade stories with them.”
Candy mused that his dad would’ve been proud of his Super Bowl spot. “I can only imagine he would be going, ‘I’m glad you’re working,’ " the younger Candy said with a laugh.
That is, with one Canadian caveat. “I’m going to have to go country line here,” Candy said, “and say he was probably more of a Tim Hortons fan than a Dunkin' fan.” (The elder Candy was born in Toronto.)
In October 2022, PEOPLE confirmed that the Candy family is working withRyan ReynoldsandColin Hankson a documentary about the late comedian’s legacy through Reynolds' Maximum Effort production company.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“The Candy family is giving Maximum Effortaccess to his archive and home video footage,” a rep for Reynolds told PEOPLE of Christopher and sister Jennifer, plus the comedian’s wife Rosemary.
Reynolds made the announcement after Candy began trending on X (then Twitter) ahead of thePlanes, Trains and Automobiles4K re-release.
“With John Candy trending,I’ll just say I love him,” Reynolds wrote on X. “So much so, @maximumeffort is working on a documentary on his life with @colinhanks. Expect tears.”
source: people.com
