{"id":33594,"date":"2026-08-09T01:08:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=33594"},"modified":"2026-08-09T01:08:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:08:52","slug":"hamish-hamiltons-on-boldest-super-bowl-halftime-show-with-bad-bunny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=33594","title":{"rendered":"Hamish Hamilton&#8217;s on Boldest Super Bowl Halftime Show With Bad Bunny"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThrough 17 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/super-bowl\/\" id=\"auto-tag_super-bowl_1\" data-tag=\"super-bowl\">Super Bowl<\/a> Halftime Shows, six Emmy Award shows, four Oscar nights, three Grammys, the first-ever FIFA World Cup Halftime Show and an Olympic opening ceremony, Hamish Hamilton has seen it all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tStill, never in his career has the prolific live-event director been more worried about a technical failure than when he helmed the now-Emmy-nominated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/bad-bunny\/\" id=\"auto-tag_bad-bunny_1\" data-tag=\"bad-bunny\">Bad Bunny<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/super-bowl-halftime-show\/\" id=\"auto-tag_super-bowl-halftime-show_1\" data-tag=\"super-bowl-halftime-show\">Super Bowl Halftime Show<\/a> in February, when they were shooting on prime cinema camera lenses, not particularly designed for a live show, and they had no backups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cEven with the World Cup, we always had a backup,\u201d he says. \u201cBut with Bad Bunny [aka Benito Antonio Mart\u00ednez Ocasio], my goodness, if we\u2019d lost any of those five cameras, we would not be talking right now, and I would probably have disappeared somewhere and be living on a remote island. There was no room for [backup] cameras. Every shot, we were really on the edge. It was like a white-knuckle ride.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tFortunately for Hamilton, they stuck the landing, and he lives to tell the tale.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tOver the course of nearly two decades, Hamilton has seen the coveted halftime show evolve from an already-popular live music event into a cinematic experience in and of itself, with increasingly grandiose production that extends to the cameras, set pieces, effects and more. Bad Bunny\u2019s show in particular, he says, was \u201cprobably, more than any, the most made-for-camera\u201d halftime spectacle he\u2019s directed to this point.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1047px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((698\/1047)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/13BFEA-Variety-Embed-Field-2026.jpg?w=1047\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"698\" width=\"1047\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Neilson Barnard\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe show was a colorful, vibrant display of Puerto Rican and pan-Latin American culture, featuring a dynamic set showcasing the history of workers in sugarcane fields to the modern joys of everyday life and an actual legal wedding onstage. The show featured cameos from the likes of Cardi B, Pedro Pascal and Karol G, performances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, and hundreds of people disguised as grass.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tHamilton says that Bad Bunny and creative director Harriet Cuddeford came in with a \u201cremarkably focused\u201d vision from day one, adding that they were \u201cvery definitive about what they wanted to say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cThe first time I saw their set proposal, my heart was just full of joy,\u201d Hamilton says. \u201cRight from the get-go, you can tell it was genius. They had the ideas with grass \u2014 it wasn\u2019t the grass people yet \u2014 but it was green. I knew from second one it would be really challenging, but it would work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe typical challenges Hamilton runs into across most of the halftime shows are working with daylight \u2014 which can make it difficult to create drama and accents \u2014 and using darkness and shadows to help hide things. A more specific challenge this go-round, though, was opening up the show so that those in the stadium seats could see what\u2019s going on. That\u2019s a bit of a change-up from the usual Super Bowl show, where he\u2019s most often the one reminding talent to focus more on the millions more people watching at home.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1047px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((794\/1047)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/13BFEA-Variety-Embed-Bunny-2026.jpg?w=1047\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"794\" width=\"1047\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"a-font-secondary-s lrv-u-margin-r-025\">SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA \u2013 FEBRUARY 8: Bad Bunny performs in the Apple Music Halftime Show during the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, at Levi\u2019s Stadium on February 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Kevin Sabitus\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cThat was the only big point of contention, and it was an arm wrestle between myself, Harriet and Benito,\u201d Hamilton says. \u201cI\u2019d be like, \u2018This is great, but no one in the stadium audience is going to see this.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tHamilton is hesitant to take too much of the credit for the show, going as far as to call for creative directors to get considered for nominations at the Emmys, too, adding that \u201cto call me the director of the Super Bowl Halftime Show just doesn\u2019t sit right with me.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cThe role of the television director on these kinds of shows has massively changed over the past 10 years. It shouldn\u2019t just be me who\u2019s getting nominated or celebrated here,\u201d Hamilton adds. \u201cIt should be myself and the creative directors who are partners in this. Without Harriet, without Benito, what would have gone onscreen would be nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1047px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((698\/1047)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/13BFEA-Variety-Embed-Gaga-2026.jpg?w=1047\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"698\" width=\"1047\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe show, the first ever to be mainly in Spanish, would end up courting significant conservative backlash, to the point that Kid Rock and Turning Point USA elected to put on their own alternative halftime show. None of that surprises Hamilton, who praises co-producer Jay-Z and Roc Nation as \u201cgenius\u201d and \u201cbrave\u201d for picking Bad Bunny.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cSadly, I did expect that reaction, and what I expected came to pass,\u201d he says. \u201cBeing part of creating that show was one of the proudest and most joyful experiences of my life because it meant something and means something now \u2014 speaking to people afterward who were just so overjoyed about how their culture was portrayed. I don\u2019t think I will do another show that is as important and as joyful in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<em>This story first appeared in an August stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.hollywoodreporter.com\/sub\/?p=THR&amp;f=saleb&amp;s=IH1402HR20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">click here to subscribe<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Through 17 Super Bowl Halftime Shows, six Emmy Award shows, four Oscar nights, three Grammys, the first-ever FIFA World Cup Halftime Show and an Olympic opening ceremony, Hamish Hamilton has seen it all. Still, never in his career has the prolific live-event director been more worried about a technical failure than when he helmed the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/13BFEA-Variety-Main-2026.jpg?w=1296&h=730&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}