Dominic West Plays an Over-Dramatic Dad in U.K. Spot for Pasta Sauce Brand Dolmio

Dominic West, star of "The Affair" and "The Wire," plays an over-dramatic dad in a new U.K. spot from Dolmio, the Mars-owned pasta sauce.

In the first spot in a new campaign for the brand taglined "No Drama," West plays a father who's playing a somewhat violent-looking video game with his son as the mom prepares dinner. When she says it's ready, he launches into a dramatic, film trailer-style monologue about the importance of reaching the next level of the game. However, mom brings him back to earth by announcing that it's spaghetti bolognese, and the family comes eagerly to the table.

The spot, by AMV BBDO, was directed by Gary Freedman at Independent Films and is running on primetime U.K. TV.

It is a departure from Dolmio's previous long-running campaign which featured an Italian family portrayed by puppets. Clarence Mak, global chief marketing and customer officer, Mars Food, says in a statement: "This campaign stems from what we know about families -- sometimes dinnertime can be the most stressful part of the day. We wanted to show the power of our brand -- a delicious, tempting meal can bring every family together."

The ad is not West's first foray into commercials: he played the explorer Ernest Shackleton in Burberry's Christmas campaign last December.