Some people dream big but never try to make those dreams a reality. Others never even bother to wonder what could be because they don’t believe in themselves. But then there are those individuals—a special kind of person who offers inspiration to everyone who has ever been told to quit on their “silly” idea—who refuse to give up on their goals, no matter how many obstacles life throws their way. Even when those obstacles are giant linemen playing at the highest levels of college football. 25 years after Sean Astin told us the story of the most improbable player to stand tall as a member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, he’s back for Rudy II. Only this time, he has a finger lickin’ dream to become the new Colonel Sanders.
KFC‘s newest celebrity to don the white suit and mustache is maybe their best iteration of the franchise’s founder yet, and not just because we love Sean Astin more than we love most of our own family members. It’s because it’s technically Rudy Ruettiger, the diminutive football player Astin played in the beloved 1993 sports movie, who decides he wants to become the bespectacled mascot of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
That’s why even though this is super silly and makes us laugh—because Rudy remains one of the most feel-good sports movies of all-time—this ad also makes us feel weirdly emotional. That’s Rudy! And also he wants to give us free chocolate cake!
If you ever need a 15-second clip to show why Sean Astin has been making movies for decades and has a universal approval rating of 300 percent, just show them this ad. He’s so earnest and committed to it you forget it’s Sean Astin and just accept this is Rudy.
And he’s Colonel Sanders now, because he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Featured Image: KFC