Like many in the industry, Bryan Buckley has been mourning the decline of comedy in advertising. Which is why the Hungry Man director found himself smiling when he read Avocados From Mexico’s Super Bowl script for 2023—and agreed to bring it to life.

“It's sort of a throwback to fun advertising,” Buckley told Ad Age. “It’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I remember when people used to do spots like this.’”

Following a teaser last week, the brand on Wednesday unveiled the full spot. It's Avocados From Mexico's first Super Bowl commercial from Lerma/ in Dallas, which has worked with the produce marketer for years. A 30-second version will air during Sunday’s game. 

Buckley, known as the “King of the Super Bowl” for having directed more than 65 Big Game spots, said there were a few challenges with this one—chief among them, crafting a world filled with nudity without actually showing anything at all.

“We didn’t want to digitize anything,” he said. “So we had to cleverly choreograph every move, but without it feeling choreographed. We had to build out objects ahead of time to block certain things. We brought in a choreographer to figure out everyone’s turns and moves. It’s obviously a lot, dealing with network clearance.”

Buckley credits Anna Faris, the ad’s star, for being a total pro in a situation that can be difficult for actors whatever the project—never mind one that will be seen by more than 100 million people.

Faris told People magazine recently that it was “liberating” to do a spot that required nudity. “For the first time in my life I was like, ‘Maybe I could be a part of a nudist colony if I take all the hair with me,’” she said, adding: “I felt really proud that I’m kind of at this place in life where I could spend a lot of time feeling modest and insecure, or I just embrace it.”

Buckley said he admired that confidence in the actress.

“That’s a big deal [doing nudity],” he said. “Actually, the first time I met her, she was naked [while getting prepped for set]. I mean, she had pasties on and stuff. I’d never met a major talent naked before. I don’t know if I’ve met a minor talent naked. The funniest thing was, she gave me a big hug right away.” 

Buckley said he was impressed by how Faris thought about the role. “The first thing she said to me was, ‘Bryan, you know, I feel good about my body. I feel like I don’t need work. I feel good about myself.’ You don’t hear that too often. So it felt like this was the perfect spot to put her in.”

Acting-wise, she was the ideal choice too, he added.

“She’s such a distinctive character. ‘Scary Movie’ was the first time I remember seeing her. She’s just overtly comedic—the things she can do with her face and her voice,” Buckley said. “She’s just a good, sweet human as well. She has this thing—when she’s nervous, she knits. So, she knitted me a hat between takes. I’ve been wearing it all winter. That’s just the kind of person she is.” 

This is Avocados From Mexico’s eighth Super Bowl commercial. The brand had originally planned to have a QR code in the spot that would have led viewers to a social-media integration involving the popular generative AI tool ChatGPT. Those plans have been scrapped, but Buckley said he’s always liked the Avocados brand’s underdog spirit and its willingness to “take big swings.”

“Just the concept of them being on the game, I always appreciated that,” he said. “It’s like, ‘What are they doing here? Why are they crashing this party?’ It’s a small brand on a big playing field. I’m always attracted to the underdog, and they’re playing like an underdog.” 

The ad’s version of Times Square does not include the one person who’s known for being naked there—the Naked Cowboy. Asked about this, Buckley said with a laugh: “It would have been funny to have him be the one person that’s not naked.”

In general, though, he hopes viewers get a kick out of this alternate vision of New York City as an Eden-like paradise. “My goal was to make this thing as epic as possible. It was fun to design that world,” he said. “The only thing you can do is take a big swing, and this spot did that from the get-go. It made me laugh, and we need to laugh.” 

Asked about the evolution of Super Bowl ads generally, Buckley said it really comes down to the same thing it always has—winning the ad game with the most memorable spot. 

“I’ve lived for this for 20 years, and I still do today. It’s always about, ‘What are the spots that people are talking about at the end of the night?’” he said. “You have to be willing to take risks. Covid was very difficult for everybody, and some advertisers are having layoffs now. You have to be aware of every single thing that’s going on. Everyone says the same thing. ‘The spots are worse this year than ever.’ I keep on hearing that. But the truth is, there’s always a few gems.”

Below, check out the 60-second extended cut of the spot.