Super Bowl audiences tuning in for touchdowns and pop spectacle weren’t expecting psychological horror.
Instead, they got Emma Stone unraveling in black-and-white despair during a 30-second Squarespace commercial that instantly became one of the night’s most talked-about moments.
Titled “Unavailable,” the spot was directed by her frequent collaborator Yorgos Lanthimos — the visionary behind Poor Things — and it felt less like advertising and more like an A24 short film accidentally slipped into the second quarter of the Super Bowl broadcast.
By the end of the night, it had been viewed by an estimated 123 million people.
A Name No Longer Her Own
The premise is deceptively simple: Stone discovers that “emmastone.com” is already taken.
But in Lanthimos’ hands, that minor inconvenience becomes an existential crisis.
Shot in stark monochrome on analog film, the ad traps Stone inside a windswept gothic mansion on a desolate island. Rain lashes the windows. Shadows stretch across cavernous hallways. Roller-skating staff members glide silently in the background — an absurdist touch signature to Lanthimos’ style.
When Stone realizes her own name is “unavailable” online, her composure shatters.
She spirals. She screams. She smashes a laptop. In one of the commercial’s most replayed images, she tosses another device into a fireplace, watching it burn as if erasing a betrayal.
It’s exaggerated. It’s theatrical.
And it’s disturbingly convincing.
“Based on True Events”
In post-game press materials, Stone delivered the kind of dry humor fans expect: “This commercial is based on true events.”
While clearly tongue-in-cheek, the brand confirmed that Stone did not originally own the domain bearing her name — a detail that inspired the campaign’s creative direction.
Squarespace leaned into that irony, framing the ad not just as a celebrity cameo, but as a cautionary tale: in a digital-first world, your identity can be claimed before you do.
A Lanthimos “Side Quest”
This marks the sixth collaboration between Stone and Lanthimos, and their creative chemistry is unmistakable.
Wide, uncomfortable framing. Stark lighting. Emotional absurdity teetering on hysteria. The tone is unmistakably Lanthimos — unsettling but oddly comedic.
The tension is amplified by an original score from Jerskin Fendrix, whose eerie composition builds the meltdown from irritation to full gothic implosion.
Critics praised Stone’s commitment to portraying a “deranged” version of herself — not dialing it down for commercial polish, but embracing physical chaos for the full 30 seconds.
The Night’s Creative Standout
Super Bowl ads often chase humor or celebrity nostalgia. “Unavailable” chose discomfort.
Within minutes of airing, clips of Stone smashing electronics trended across social platforms. Many viewers called it the most cinematic ad of the night — more art-house thriller than brand promotion.
By the time the championship game concluded, the consensus was clear: Emma Stone didn’t just cameo.
She detonated.
In a broadcast built on spectacle, her black-and-white breakdown cut through with something rarer — a strange, stylish kind of vulnerability. For half a minute, she wasn’t an Oscar winner.
She was a woman who lost her name.
And for 123 million viewers, that felt terrifyingly real.