Why Isaiah Mustafa’s Old Spice Guy Super Bowl Return Felt New & Why He’s Excited For Cross Season 2 Explained

Isaiah Mustafa is back as his most iconic character, the Old Spice Guy, for Instacart‘s first-ever Super Bowl ad. While not having ever retired from the character, Mustafa’s tenure as the brand mascot has become more of a recurring one in the past decade as he found himself expanding his talents to movie and TV acting, ranging from Freeform’s Shadowhunters to It Chapter Two. Mustafa is certainly honored to get to be reprising his role for Instacart’s first Big Game commercial, but also as it comes in time for his 15th anniversary as the character.

Instacart, the grocery-delivery service, is going all-out for their first-ever Super Bowl ad, also enlisting such iconic brand mascots as Mr. Clean, the Kool-Aid Man and Chester Cheetah, among many others, as they spotlight just the sheer range of options users can stock their house up with through the app. In addition to the commercial, Instacart is also offering a variety of specials and exciting events for users, including the iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile making deliveries to select customers in New Orleans and Kansas City and Philadelphia, the hometowns of the two teams in this year’s Super Bowl.

In honor of the impending Big Game ad, ScreenRant interviewed Isaiah Mustafa to discuss his return as the Old Spice Guy for the Instacart Super Bowl commercial. The star reflected on returning to the character in honor of his 15th anniversary with the character, as well as the imaginative nature of the commercial and getting to share the screen with other iconic brand mascots, as well as his own way of celebrating the Big Game. Mustafa also shared his thoughts on a potential IT 3 return, and why he’s excited for audiences to get to see Cross season 2.

Mustafa Is Thrilled To Get To Celebrate The Super Bowl From The Sidelines With Old Spice Guy

“I don’t like to make predictions…”

Mustafa’s Instacart ad comes with a multitude of layers for the star, including the aforementioned 15th anniversary with the Old Spice Guy, having premiered as the character shortly after Super Bowl XLIV. Further interestingly, however, is that Mustafa was an NFL player before taking up acting, being on the offseason and practice squads for the Tennessee Oilers, Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks among others. Even with this past, though, Mustafa doesn’t generally like to make predictions for the Super Bowl, instead enjoying a laid back time:

Isaiah Mustafa: It’s nice to be on the sidelines and not actually in the game, though, because the character doesn’t have any pads on. He just has his towel or his signature shirt wrapped around his neck, so it’s nice to be a spectator for once. [Chuckles] I don’t like to make predictions, but I will say I think the Jolly Green Giant has a favorite that he likes, and I’m going to go ahead and go with his team. I’m assuming that team would be in green, but that’s the team that I’m hoping for, and pulling for. I’m a very simple person when it comes to snacks, just some chips, a little dip. Don’t double-dip, of course, we all know that. But I keep it simple, maybe a glizzy every now and then. [Laughs]

In reflecting on reprising his role as the Old Spice Guy, Mustafa called it “an honor” to get to dive back into the wacky world of the character, particularly in time for the Super Bowl, while also recognizing the surreal nature of the part when it involves him doing things like getting “up on a horse sometimes backwards“, acknowledging he has to sometimes “laugh at myself“:

Isaiah Mustafa: You know, I think anytime you get to be in a Super Bowl commercial, and in a Super Bowl commercial with so many other great spokespersons, or great spokes-entities, some of them aren’t real, it’s an honor. It’s always interesting. I’ve been doing it for 15 years, so it comes like second nature at this point when I do certain things. But I’ll be honest with you, every single time I get up on whichever horse is there, I always have to laugh at myself. I’m like, “This is what my job is, I guess. Get up on a horse sometimes backwards. This is too crazy.”

But yeah, I’m just really appreciative and grateful for all the things that have come along with being that character and working with Old Spice. But yeah, it’s so much fun to be used in a different spot. It just shows you the breadth and where the character has come, how far he’s come since being on a beach in a towel and whatnot. So, it’s super fun, man. I can tell you this much right now, Andrew Koji would be jealous. [Laughs] Yes, Old Spice and Storm Shadow.

The Instacart Ad Presented Mustafa With Some Fun New Experiences As His Character

“…there’s some really good Easter eggs that are popping out there.”

While his previous Old Spice commercials have made him the primary star, save for the ones in which he shared the screen with Terry Crews, the Instacart Super Bowl ad pairs Mustafa with some of the most notable brand mascots in history, ranging from the Kool-Aid Man to the more recent Puppy Monkey Baby, among others. Though he’s careful not to reveal all of them, Mustafa does tease that there are “some really good Easter eggs” for those who have enjoyed Super Bowl commercials over the years, and humorously recalled one troublemaker of the bunch:

Isaiah Mustafa: Yeah, I’ll give you a couple, but you’re right, I don’t want to give them all away, because there’s some really good Easter eggs that are popping out there. There’s a big giant that might be green. Let’s see, there’s a pitcher of a tasty drink that might be bursting out, if that gives you any kind of clue. [Laughs] I just want to make sure I’m not saying anything out of school, but if that’s the case [I’m allowed to share more], then I’ll just go ahead and spill the beans, or, shall I say, spill the Heinz wiener dogs.

There’s Green Giant, Mr. Clean, Pillsbury Doughboy, the Energizer Bunny, myself and the Kool-Aid Man to name a few! And what amazing character commercial would be complete without Puppy Monkey Baby. I mean, come on. [Laughs] I’m just gonna let you know right now, the Pillsbury Doughboy is difficult. He doesn’t play well with others. I tried to touch his belly and just give him a little, “hoo-hoo!”, and he wasn’t having it. He doesn’t like to be touched on the belly, just word of warning. [Chuckles] No, it was super easy, super fun. Everyone was, even the Kool-Aid Man was composed and friendly.

When it comes to his thoughts on the Old Spice Guy’s future after the Instacart ad, which he felt was “a long time coming” in order to allow the delivery service to make “a very, very big splash” for those unfamiliar with it, Mustafa is very open to returning as the iconic character, and even has some ideas of his own for what the next commercials could include:

Isaiah Mustafa: Oh, it’s about time. I think Instacart, honestly, it’s their first Super Bowl commercial, and it’s a long time coming. I think they’re going to make a very, very big splash with it. I think what they’re doing with the commercial is — when you have a service like theirs, using all these different spokespeople, it’s tailor-made for what they do, the service they provide. So, I think it’s going to be a very cool little commercial that they have. I think people are gonna dig it, they’re gonna be like, “Oh, Instacart. I see what you up to. I see you.” Oh, yeah, it’s like the Batsignal. All I got to see is that Old Spice clipper in the sky and the fog light. I just see it up there, and I’ll be like, “Oh, okay, jump on the horse, sliding down the banister onto a horse, and ride out.” [Chuckles]

Mustafa Can’t Wait For Audiences To Dive Into Cross Season 2 (For Multiple Reasons)

“From what I saw, it’s different and just as good.”

Looking beyond the Instacart ad, one of the first big things Mustafa has is Cross season 2, which had been confirmed and filmed before season 1 debuted to largely positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. Despite this early filming, though Mustafa doesn’t have any updates for when audiences will start seeing glimpses of season 2:

Isaiah Mustafa: I don’t know when it’s going to come out, and I haven’t heard about any teasers. I did do some ADR for it, so I suspect that everything’s getting finalized soon. From what I saw, it’s different and just as good. I’m looking forward for people to see it.

A big plot point going into season 2 is the connection between Mustafa and Alona Tal’s characters, John Sampson and Kayla Craig, as they were seen fraternizing between the search for the Fanboy Killer, only for Craig to also seemingly being revealed to have ties with him as she cut a deal with Bobby Trey to get all of the blackmail they had on the Washington D.C. elite in the Cross season 1 ending. While he can’t share too much about how this will evolve, Mustafa does tease Kayla’s reveal will play a big part in season 2:

Isaiah Mustafa: I think there’s definitely some new things that arise in season 2, but I think what you saw in that teaser, there’s gonna be a lot to play on that. I wish I could say more, but that’s it. [Laughs]

In reflecting on the press tour for Cross season 1, in which Mustafa and his cast had two whole seasons’ worth of secrets to keep from the public while still trying to build their interest in the show, the star humorously recalled it got “confusing a little bit“ to remember which season to discuss, though praised the Prime Video press team for “letting us know what to stick to“:

Isaiah Mustafa: Yeah, it’s tricky, because sometimes, it can get confusing a little bit, because we just came off of season 2 when we started doing the press. But, we had our talking points. [Chuckles] We have a good PR team over there at Amazon, they’re very good at letting us know what to stick to, so I was confident in their hands.

Mustafa Is Always Open To An IT 3 & Praises Welcome To Derry’s Franchise-Expanding Lore

“You never know when you’ll see Mike Hanlon pop up…”

Another of Mustafa’s biggest roles to come in the wake of Old Spice Guy putting him on the map was that of Mike Hanlon in IT: Chapter Two, the second part of Andy Muschietti’s duology adaptation of Stephen King’s iconic novel. With the filmmaker returning to co-develop the prequel show, Welcome to Derry, the door seems open for future stories involving Mike and the Losers Club, and Mustafa is certainly game to return for a potential IT 3, while also praising how the show expands the lore of King’s world after paying a visit to its set:

Isaiah Mustafa: I could never say never, especially with a franchise like IT. You never know when you’ll see Mike Hanlon pop up, and that’s the truth. But I’ve never thought that there wouldn’t be anything to continue the story. I think Welcome to Derry will continue the story in ways fans will really appreciate and really love. It’ll fill in some gaps. I was lucky enough to go on set while I was in Toronto, and Andy was directing the episode that I went to.

It was really, really cool to see those guys. No spoilers, though. I did not sign an NDA, but I know better than to say anything about what’s coming. I don’t even know if he was directing, I just saw him, he directed me into the building, that’s it. [Laughs] “Look at that. Look at that. Don’t talk about that. Oh, and then that right there? You didn’t see that.”

About Instacart’s Super Bowl Commercial

Entitled “We’re Here”, Instacart’s 30-second Super Bowl spot brings together beloved icons from America’s favorite grocery brands — including breakout stars from the most legendary Big Game ads of years past — for one epic delivery that is only possible with Instacart.

The campaign highlights the unparalleled care that Instacart puts into each and every order, all powered by a grocery-first technology platform, more than a decade of deep retailer and brand partnerships, and a dedicated community of more than 600,000 shoppers picking and delivering orders. Over the last 12 years, Instacart has fulfilled more than 1 billion orders, making it possible for customers to get the groceries and goods they need, from the brands they love, delivered in as fast as 30 minutes, from more than 85,000 local, regional, and national retailer locations across North America.

Iconic Instacart Deliveries with the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile: We’re enlisting familiar faces from the commercial – Green Giant, Cheetos® Chester Cheetah®, The Kool-Aid Man, and The Pillsbury Doughboy™ – to deliver select Instacart customer orders via the iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in New Orleans and the two Big Game rival cities, Kansas City and Philadelphia.

An Instacart Game Day Essentials Collection for Deals and Free Snacks with your Order: In the week leading up to the Big Game, Instacart is helping Americans score on their favorite game day essentials:

• Instacart’s Week of FREE Game Day Snacks With Your Order: Shop Instacart between February 2–9 and find rotating offers for free snacks on your next order. (Fees, taxes and terms apply. Limit 1 per person, eligible items only, while supplies last. Exp 2/9)
• Game Day Essentials Collection: Shop the Game Day Essentials Collection between February 2–9, and save up to 40% (max. $10) on craveworthy snacks, drinks, and household essentials to make hosting a breeze.

Isaiah Mustafa

Discover the latest news and filmography for Isaiah Mustafa, known for It Chapter Two and Shadowhunters.

Birthdate

February 11, 1974

Birthplace

Portland, Oregon, USA

Professions

Actor, Former American Football Wide Receiver