LL Cool J on being an empty nester, sipping Coors Light and his new Super Bowl commercial

From movies to music to TV, LL Cool J is a household name. And he’ll end up in a few more households, figuratively and almost literally, on Super Bowl Sunday.The multi-hyphenate, born James Todd Smith, stars alongside country star Lainey Wilson in a new commercial for Coors Light. Molson Coors is reviving the “Coors Light Chill Train” for its big game ad, with LL Cool J as the conductor. Country star Lainey Wilson also appears in the ad, which is scored to The O’Jays “Love Train.”“(Love Train) has always been one of my favorites,” the artist, 56, tells USA TODAY. “My mother vacuumed the house to that. I grew up dancing to that as a little boy.”

AD METER 2024:Vote on the big game's best commercialsLL Cool J also loved the “don’t call it a comeback” part of the commercial, as the “Chill Train” is revived for the first time since 2012. The concept began in 2005 as the “Silver Bullet Express.” In the spot, created by Droga5, part of Accenture Song, the train brings some “chill” to a house watch part in an unexpected way.

“I’m not a big drinker, but I’ve definitely sipped a Coors Light here and there for sure,” he says. “The scale and the scope of this commercial, it just felt right to me.”

While Molson Coors is newer to the big game thanks to Anheuser-Busch’s alcohol exclusivity ending last year, LL Cool J actually has a bit of history with Super Bowl ads. He appeared alongside Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes in a 2008 Diet Pepsi Max ad that spoofed the “Saturday Night Live” “Night at the Roxbury” skit. He had a small role in the piece, which placed in the top 10 that year on USA TODAY Ad Meter.

For him, this latest ad will be more memorable. Part of that is because how hectic his career became in the 2000’s: from 2004 to 2008, he released three albums, acted in seven films and appeared on a number of TV shows.

Now he and his wife Simone, who have four children together, are empty nesters. His approach to taking on new projects has evolved.“I’m just having a good time and I’m doing things because they’re enjoyable,” he explains. “Forget a house and all that, I could get a condo and my remote control and just watch TV. I’m only doing the things I’m doing at this point for fun.”