In the sea of 2024 Super Bowl ads, there were a handful that really stood out, including a State Farm spot starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is one of the biggest stars of all time and, unsurprisingly, he gets offered a lot of advertisements. However, according to the actor, there was something about this one in particular that stood out. The Terminator star recently opened up about why he decided to do the ad for State Farm, and what got him on board for the reunion with his Twins co-star, Danny DeVito.
The 76-year-old actor has been in a number of ads over the years, including that Zeus BMW spot (which is one of the best commercials from Super Bowl LVI.) Because of this, the actor has become selective about what kinds of projects he participates in. However, when he got the opportunity to team up with Jake From State Farm for the action packed commercial titled “Agent State Farm,” the action icon was all in. He explained that the script was a big reason he decided to sign on, revealing in his newsletter:
I get a lot of pitches and throw them right into the trash, but when this came to me, I loved it. It was a hilarious script.
The ad in question centers around a fake movie called “Agent State Farm,” in which the Austria-born actor saves several people in need and says the catchphrase: “Like A Good Neighbor, State Farm Is There.” However, with his accent, he can’t seem to get his mouth around the word “neighbor” and instead, keeps saying “neighbah.” At the end of the ad, Danny DeVito helps him out and says the catchphrase for him, resulting in a Twins reunion. Check it out for yourself:
Not only was the commercial funny, but it was a defining moment for Arnold Schwarzenegger, who at once was told he would have to get rid of his Austrian accent to make it in Hollywood. He said in his newsletter:
It is even funnier when you know that agents and producers told me my accent would never make it in Hollywood, and now my accent is the reason for a Super Bowl commercial.
I think most fans can’t imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger without his accent, as it's one of the features that makes him so unique. It has been used brilliantly for many of Schwarzenegger’s most iconic roles, and has distinguished him from other big-screen titans. The Predator star has also had a great sense of humor about it as well as the several impressions done of him throughout his career. This sense of humor is also a big reason that the State Farm Ad works so well, and it was great to see the movie star lean into it.
The Danny DeVito cameo was surely also exciting for fans of their 1988 comedy, Twins. The movie plays off the two actors' dramatic size difference, and they make a great unlikely comedic duo. This chemistry translates well into the State Farm ad, and contributes to a wonderful conclusion for the already very funny commercial. Rumors of a sequel to the classic film have circled for years but nothing has truly come fruition. However, DeVito and his co-star have kept in touch over the years, and the former bodybuilder even attended DeVito’s Broadway show last year. We may never get Twins 2, but I'm glad the pitch for this Super Bowl commercial was enough to entice Arnie so that he could reunite with DeVito.
Fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger can check out the first season of his show, FUBAR, and hear him talk about his incredible life and unlikely Hollywood career in the documentary Arnold. Both are now available to stream using a Netflix subscription.
