Will Arnett Takes Over at Dunkin' in New Ad After Ben Affleck and Matt Damon 'Bullied Me Into It' He Says (Exclusive)

The DunKings are on "summer break" so Will Arnett stars in Dunkin's new commercials. “Matt and Ben saved my life,” he jokes

Will Arnett is bringing his special brand of humor to a new summer ad campaign for Dunkin’ — and the comedian says he has Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to thank.

During an exclusive interview with PEOPLE on set with Dunkin', the comedian, 54, mused about the new series of ads launching June 17. He stars alongside Natalie Marshall, the content creator best known as Corporate Natalie, and a handful of summer interns like Joey Fatone and AJ McLean.

The ad campaign comes months after Dunkin’s 2024 Super Bowl commercial, which saw Damon, Affleck and Tom Brady sport orange jumpsuits as the DunKings to crash one of Jennifer Lopez’s recording sessions. The DunKings are on "summer break," says Dunkin', so enter: Arnett.

“Matt and Ben saved my life,” he jokes by way of explanation for his new role. “We served together ... as waiters — sorry, not in the military — and they covered a shift for me that really saved my life.”

"No truthfully, Matt and Ben bullied my into it, so that was nice," he adds.

Related: Ben Affleck Gets Mistaken for Matt Damon in New Dunkin' Commercial (Exclusive)

In the first 30-second commercial starring Arnett and Corporate Natalie, the pair host an orientation at Dunkin’ headquarters to welcome the Dunkin’Terns, a small group of talented people from diverse backgrounds — Fatone, McLean, chef Nick DiGiovanni, fashion designer Yoon Ahn, Twitch streamer SypherPK, Miss Massachusetts winner Melissa Sapini and plant artist Hilton Carter — who will debut their final projects in other Dunkin' ads throughout the summer.

“Will and I are honored to have you all here as our summer interns, or as I like to say ‘Dunkin’Terns!,” Corporate Natalie says to the group seated around a conference table.

“I love saying that,” Arnett chimes in. “Affleck and Damon, the DunKings are… not here!”

“This summer is all about Big Dunkin’ Iced Energy,” she continues.

Related: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Tom Brady Form a Boy Band (and Embarrass J.Lo) in Dunkin’s Super Bowl Commercial

“BDIE,” Arnett emphasizes.

Maia Reficco then points out a giant button on the table, wondering aloud what it does. When Corporate Natalie pushes it, a robot version of Affleck, sporting a black company polo shirt, barges into the conference room carrying a Dunkin’ Iced coffee and Arnett’s car keys. The Dunkin’Terns are mystified.

“We tried to program it to bring me a Dunkin’ Iced every time you push the button,” Arnett explains, referring to the franchise’s beverage collection of iced coffee, Dunkin’ Refreshers and SPARKD’ Energy drinks.

“Let’s put a Dunkin’ Iced in every hand this summer!” Arnett says with a toast to the group, who cheers.

Related: You Can Buy the Dunkin’ Tracksuits and Fuzzy Hats from Ben Affleck’s Super Bowl Commercial

In the second commercial, featuring Fatone, 47, and McLean, 46, Corporate Natalie hails the pair as "OGs" in "their own right."

"We want to figure out a way to make Dunkin' Iced coffee top of mind," Arnett explains.

Riffing off the top of his head, Fatone asks, "What we if make a vintage kind of old-school jam?"

"A banger about Dunkin' Iced coffee," McLean adds.

"This sounds deliciously nostalgic," Arnett says.

"That's kind of our thing," Fatone acknowledges.

Related: Ben Affleck Releases a 4-Minute Version of His Dunkin’ Super Bowl Commercial and the Full DunKings Song

During the third commercial, Arnett and Corporate Natalie chat with SypherPK, who's engrossed in a gaming session, sporting a headset, staring at a computer screen and furiously clicking away on his mouse.

"SypherPK, gaming, huh? Takes a lot of energy," Arnett says to the distracted gamer. "Good thing we've got the new SPARKD' Energy on deck for you."

Corporate Natalie and Arnett spontaneously break out into a song about the beverages, when SypherPK takes off his headset. He's suddenly had a thought.

"How about this summer, I promote SPARKD' Energy for Dunkin'?" he suggests.

"What a great idea that you had," Arnett says.

Related: Ben Affleck Challenges Tom Brady to a Football Toss on Set of Dunkin’s Super Bowl Commercial

During his interview with PEOPLE, Arnett quipped the idea for the ad campaign came to him while driving along California’s Interstate 405 because he was “so thirsty” from “charity-ing.” (“I'm usually doing charity,” he deadpans.)

“I ended up calling [Dunkin'] … and they put me right through to the CEO, because I said, ‘Hey, it's Will Arnett,” he jokes, adding, "They said, ‘Who's that?’ And I said, ‘I'm an actor, and I've been in a bunch...’ And [they] said, ‘We still don't know.’ And then I sent them a picture, and they were like, ‘Honestly, we have no idea who you are.’

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“But anyway, after a few weeks, I got in touch with them, and I pitched them this idea,” Arnett continues. “So it was kind of a feel-good story. We're thinking about making the movie about how I came up with this idea, Matt and Ben are [in], I think. They haven't heard it yet, but I bet they're going to think about it when I pitch it to them.”

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