Alicia Silverstone on Returning to Play CLUELESS Character Cher in Super Bowl Ad; Watch The Teaser

When your team doesn’t make it to the Super Bowl, at least you have the fun commercials to watch and keep you entertained. One of the ads you can look forward to seeing this year is a Rakuten commercial that has Alicia Silverstone back in the role of Cher Horowitz from the classic 1995 comedy, Clueless.

The teaser for the commercial opens with a classroom of students chattering amongst themselves. A school bell rings, the iconic yellow plaid emerges into frame and Cher strides down the aisle, holding one shopping bag in each hand. She reaches the front of the classroom and sets them down, then faces the camera, and says, “Don’t bug. Your girl is back.”

In a recent interview with Variety, Silverstone talked about making the commercial, saying:

“Rakuten came to me with this idea, and I thought it was really clever. When I think about Cher and about how she’s film’s most historic shopaholic, the idea that she would be able to use this app is the greatest hack ever, getting cash back on all your shopping. I feel like she would want everyone to know that.”

The ad also represents a callback to the film’s legacy, as well as a nod to the resurgence of ’90s culture and fashion trends. Did she know at the time she filmed it that Clueless would be so successful?

“I didn’t make movies thinking they would do well or not. I had no concept of that; I was just acting because I liked it. But then it very quickly became clear that it was taking over.” 

The habits and values of a 2023 shopaholic, however, look different from those of a 1995 shopaholic. How might Cher approach shopping today? Silverstone weighed in:

“Cher, in the end of the film, really evolves. She always has compassion, but she really awakens to what matters. I think that she would be buying the really eco[-friendly], animal cruelty free clothes.”

When asked what she thinks of the revival of ‘90s fashion trends, Silverstone admits, “I couldn’t even tell you from I’m trying to think of — what is something from the ‘90s?”

After mentioning low-rise jeans as an option that crossed over from the ’90s to the 2000s, Silverstone responded:

“I had all low-rise jeans, that’s for sure… If you’re a woman over 25, you want the high waisted jeans… I don’t know that we want the low-rise jeans. I don’t know that that’s going to work for us, with older women.”

When asked what makes it tricky to recapture the energy of that decade’s teen films and shows, Silverstone said:

“Amy Heckerling never wanted to do ‘Clueless 2.’ She got asked so many times and she just refused. She just felt like there’s magic in what we did. So I don’t know why or how that works… You can have the most incredible cast, the most incredible script, the most incredible director and still those movies don’t work sometimes. So when it does, it’s really special.”

The 30-second ad spot will play on Sunday, Feb. 12, during the championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Check out the teaser below: