“I think you’ve overcomplicated this story,” says John Malkovich in CBS’s cold open for Sunday’s AFC Championship game where the New England Patriots took on the Jacksonville Jaguars. “I mean, this is one of the simplest, oldest stories there is. This is an ancient story from olden times. It is the story of David vs. Goliath.”

The actor delivers a passionate monologue that grows more dramatic as the orchestra plays louder. The music swells and he explodes in a “tornado of soliloquy”—as The Drum puts it—about the tiny underdog taking on the mighty giant, fighting for the right to play in the Super Bowl.

“I mean, that’s what I would have said,” he tells the directors at the end, as they stand speechless and realize they weren’t filming.

In the spot, Malkovich originally approaches them to crankily complain about the over-the-top script, after first crankily complaining about it to his agent, calling it “utterly overwrought,” pointing out that nobody says things like “the furtive genius of Foxborough,” and questioning whether a full orchestra is really necessary.

The serious, comedic piece, running just over four minutes long, was created by CBS Sports Creative Director Pete Radovich and filmed at the New England Conservatory in Boston days before the game.

Radovich told Sports Illustrated Malkovich has always been his favorite actor.

“So over the years I’ve wanted to reach out to him for various projects, but it never felt right,” he said to the publication. “I wanted to make sure that when I used that bullet, it was the perfect fit. This tease concept was something that I had been wanting to do for the past couple of years, so when the Jaguars won last Sunday, the moment was finally here. The story of David and Goliath as told by John Malkovich. It felt right.”

Radovich and his team shot the ad on Wednesday, with help from professional conductor Helmut VonLichten and student musicians who had a “hard out” at noon to get to classes.

READ MORE: The Drum, Sports Illustrated

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