Brett Goldstein opened up about his entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the “Ted Lasso” FYC event in Los Angeles Monday evening.
The actor made his franchise debut at the conclusion of Taika Waititi’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which hit theaters earlier this month. In a post-credits scene featuring Zeus (Russell Crowe) fretting over his defeat at the hands of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the god sends his son, Goldstein’s Hercules, to enact vengeance on his behalf. Viewers are treated to a brief glimpse of a buff, hairy-chested Goldstein, who simply replies to Zeus, “Yes, father.”
Goldstein joins a growing list of A-listers who have made their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in recent post-credit scenes. Charlize Theron popped up in May’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” as a mystical character named Clea, while Harry Styles was the big surprise in “Eternals” as the cosmic fighter Starfox.
On the carpet, Goldstein told Variety’s Marc Malkin about sending his parents to see the “Thor” sequel without informing them of his cameo in the film. The two were surprised to see their son in the blockbuster, though there was a stretch of time where Goldstein worried that his mother would miss his brief appearance.
“I didn’t tell anyone because Marvel put a chip in my neck that said ‘If you talk about this you’re dead,’” he joked. “My mom and dad, I sent them a text and said ‘I’ve just seen “Thor.”‘ I knew it’s not the kind of film they’d see. I said, ‘You should go see it. It’s funny.’”
“My mom is texting me all the way through the film giving me a running commentary,” Goldstein continued. “I’m like, ‘Just watch the film!’ It gets to the end bit, where it shows Russell Crowe… My mom texts me ‘Russell Crowe’s in it again, he’s very funny.’ I go, ‘Fucking look up at the screen!’”
As for his future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Goldstein is adamant that he has no idea what’s in store for his Hercules.
“I truly, honestly — this isn’t me lying or being coy — I know nothing,” Goldstein said. “All I know is what I did that day and that’s it. That could be it. It was a fun three seconds.”
Goldstein also touched on his reaction to the impressive load of Emmy nominations “Ted Lasso” scored for its second season. The Apple TV+ series has matched its nomination total from last year, earning 20 nods across all categories, including best supporting actor in a comedy series for Goldstein.
“It’s surreal because it was so surreal last time,” Goldstein said. “My brain hasn’t gotten used to any of it. It hadn’t gotten used to it in Season 1. I don’t know if we were expecting anything again. It felt so magical the first time. Well, we got back in again.”
