BMW's Super Bowl 2022 Commercial Gives Arnold Schwarzenegger A New Look

Since serving as the Republican governor of California from 2003 to 2011, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger has mostly remained cooped up in Los Angeles home, spending time with his family. While quarantining alongside the rest of the nation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Schwarzenegger created advertisements on his social media channels, touting the importance of hand-washing, wearing masks, and socially distancing. Despite the fact that he was no longer a politician, Arnold remained an active voice on Instagram, once comparing the January 6 Capitol riot to Kristallnacht, an event in which Nazis sacked Jewish neighborhoods in 1938. "When you leave office, you realize — well, I realized — that I just couldn't cut it off like that," Schwarzenegger told the New York Times in May 2021. "Just because I'm finished with this job that is only kind of a temporary job, does it mean that I have interest only in a temporary way? No! It's like sports, with the follow-through."

In January, Schwarzenegger posted a photo of himself dressed as the Greek God Zeus on his Instagram profile, simply captioning the post, "Coming February 2022." Though his followers didn't know it then, Schwarzenegger was promoting his starring role in a brand new Super Bowl commercial.

Arnold Schwarzenegger will be joining the ranks of other A-list celebrities starring in 2022 Super Bowl commercials this Sunday. According to People, Schwarzenegger will be starring as the Greek God Zeus in a commercial for BMW. In the short preview clip released of the commercial, Schwarzenegger, dressed in full Greek God garb, is seen ordering a macchiato at a coffee shop. After the barista mispronounces the name "Zeus," Schwarzenegger corrects her while lightning strikes his gold-plated armor. Then, Schwarzenegger walks away while the barista marvels at the fact that Zeus is in her coffee shop. A second thunderclap sounds before the BMW logo appears on the screen. Salma Hayek is also set to star in the commercial as Greek Goddess Hera.

Perhaps his role as Zeus in the commercial is a nod to his very first role as an actor. As Entertainment Weekly reported, the actor's first role was in 1970's "Hercules in New York," in which he portrayed Hercules as he is sent down to earth. While there, Hercules strikes up a romantic relationship and even started a successful career as a bodybuilder. In the past, Schwarzenegger has appeared in other Super Bowl commercials for Bud Light and the "Mobile Strike" game.