Super Bowl Hits and Misses from O’Connor Casting’s Virginia Anello

Behind every great commercial is a great casting director. And one of the best in the biz is O’Connor Casting in Chicago. We were thrilled to have Casting Director Virginia Anello stop by Screen after the game to present her picks…

SCREEN: What was your favorite spot of the Super Bowl?

VIRGINIA: 72andSunny, Swaybox Studios, and director Peter Berg’s NFL commercial. Why? Because stunning puppetry + innovative CGI = some genius crafting going on there. You can see all the painstaking detail work put in by cast and crew. And those kids were amazing. Also because it had the most Walter Payton (#sweetness).

SCREEN: What was your least favorite spot of the night or a spot you felt could have been more successful?

VIRGINIA: My least fave spots were probably the most successful because I had no idea Law & Order was gone but I sure as heck know it’s coming back.

SCREEN: What would you like to see more or less of in terms of advertising in next year’s Super Bowl?

VIRGINIA: I dig all the ‘Going Electric’ ads! Literally all the cars going electric and even the Wallbox commercial (featuring our very own casting for an actual lightning strike survivor!) to power those electric vehicles. Let’s keep all that and Bebe Pegasus going.

SCREEN: Virginia, any final comments on this year’s Super Bowl lineup?

VIRGINIA: Overall I thought the ‘celeb spot’ game was much stronger this year than most years.  Zendaya selling seashells (Squarespace), Larry David being wrong (Crypto), Paul Rudd fainting (Lays), Jim Carrey and Geraldine Viswanathan Cable Guying (Verizon), Jennifer Coolidge getting tricked (Uber Eats), the Austin Powers cast reuniting (General Motors)… I could go on.  Solid year.

For the latest from the fine folks at O’Connor Casting, click right here.