Director Michael Bay had a pretty epic Super Bowl weekend this year, and not just because the team he favored, the New England Patriots, bested the Seattle Seahawks and took home the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The director and his Transformers co-star Mark Wahlberg hosted the big daddy of all Super Bowl events, the Big Game Big Give, which raised more than $1 million for charity.
“It’s important, when you are fortunate in life, to give back whenever you can. We all need to try to make this world a better place,” the 49-year-old filmmaker says of his involvement with the event, adding, “Super Bowl XLIX was the third time I hosted the Giving Back Fund Party. The first time I hosted in 2010, we held the event at my home in Miami for Super Bowl XLIV. ESPN rated it the best party in Miami that year. With so many gluttonous affairs being thrown during the Super Bowl, it’s great to be involved in a party with a purpose that actually raises money for such a valuable charity.”
While Bay—who is also involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation—was giving back, he also enjoyed himself, especially because his team won. “[I went] to sleep late after eating a lot of hot dogs and drinking a lot of beer, exhausted not from the game and the impressive experience the NFL staged, but rather from [hanging out with] my buddies,” he says.
Is he excited for next year’s game? You bet—but a word of warning to the National Football League: Bay wants a bigger budget production at Super Bowl 50. “I’ve actually had the Air Force Thunderbirds do a flyover for my film Armageddon, and I still hold the record—in the Guinness Book of World Records—for the largest explosion ever filmed for Pearl Harbor, so the NFL will need to up its game a bit.”
On that note, it’s time to stop sitting on the sidelines and start checking out the live action of Bay’s Super Bowl weekend. Find out here how he gave back, how he celebrated, and the real reason why he’s such a Patriots fan (trust us, you will be surprised).
6:00 pm I get ready to host the Giving Back Fund party.
7 P.M. My friends and I arrive at The Giving Back Fund’s “Big Game Big Give.” This year, [Washington Nationals manager] Matt Williams and his wife Erika held a phenomenal celebration at their home [in Paradise Valley, Arizona].
8 P.M. I host a special screening of select bloopers and behind-the-scenes footage from Transformers: Age of Extinction in Matt Williams’ “man cave” at the Williams home.
9 P.M. Mark Wahlberg and I get on stage and encourage people to make bids on live auction prizes along with hostess Maria Menounos. The crowd tonight is in the mood to bid big, and we try to motivate them to bid even higher.
11 P.M. Matt Williams and I have a cup of coffee and take a moment to reflect on an unbelievably successful evening.
12 A.M. Who’s ready to go out?
10 A.M. I wake up in a rented house [that I’m sharing] with seven of my buddies who are nervous that traffic to the stadium is going to take us three hours.
I try to assure them I was in Phoenix the last time Arizona hosted the Super Bowl in 2008, and it was very smooth getting in [so not to worry]. Well, they still worry. So I tell them, let’s go to breakfast and just deal with the fact that we will miss the first quarter.
2 P.M. My buddies and I arrive at breakfast. Once again, we discuss the drive time to the game.
1 P.M. We leave for the University of Phoenix Stadium. Of course we make it to the stadium an hour before the game.
4:30 P.M. I start cheering for the Patriots. I’ve filmed Tom Brady’s wife, Gisele [Bundchen] in underwear for several Victoria’s Secret campaigns I’ve directed. You could say it’s just a sign of respect.
9:02 P.M. I’m cheering even louder for the Patriots as Malcolm Butler makes a game-changing interception.
9:09 P.M. The Patriots win—more celebrating!
