This story contains spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder!
Thor: Love and Thunder star Brett Goldstein sent his parents to see the film… but didn’t tell them that he was in it as a post-credits surprise.
During an interview with Variety, the 42-year-old actor and comedian explained how he tried to trick his parents to go and see the Thor sequel. But it sounds as though it ultimately backfired.
“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,” he added. “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, ‘F***ing look up at the screen!’”
Goldstein appeared at the very end of the film in a post-credits scene.
Zeus (Russell Crowe) had been defeated by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) earlier in the film and turns to his son to get his revenge. That’s right – Goldstein stars as Hercules and, teasing an upcoming clash between himself and the God of Thunder, Goldstein responds “Yes, father.”
“I didn’t tell anyone because Marvel put a chip in my neck that said ‘If you talk about this you’re dead,’” joked Goldstein. But there was one friend he confided in – Ted Lasso co-star Hannah Waddingham.
“He said to me, ‘I’ve been offered this thing… Do you guys think I should do it?'” Waddingham explained. “I went, ‘Are you mental? Are you actually having a little bit of a moment? You’re seriously thinking that you might not play Hercules?’… Then he didn’t tell me he bloody did it! So everyone was like ‘Brett Goldstein! Brett Goldstein!’ And I was like, ‘You cheeky bastard.'”
Obviously, his cameo could mean a return for Hercules… but Goldstein is keeping quiet. “I truly, honestly — this isn’t me lying or being coy — I know nothing,” he said. “All I know is what I did that day and that’s it. That could be it. It was a fun three seconds.”
IGN’s own review called Thor: Love and Thunder “the MCU’s first romantic comedy, and it plays with those tropes in delightful ways. But while Thor and Jane’s relationship is handled well, Love and Thunder is less deft — and a lot safer than you’d expect — in pushing the greater MCU story forward. Christian Bale’s Gorr feels underutilized, and Tessa Thompson’s King Valkyrie takes a frustrating back seat, especially as the movie goes on. Taika Waititi’s signature humor and visual style persist from Ragnarok and are essential to buoying the movie through its cookie-cutter plot. With Hemsworth as enthusiastic an Asgardian as ever, Thor’s future with both love and thunder are bright.”
Thor: Love and Thunder stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, and Russel Crowe. Taika Waititi directed the film based on a script he co-wrote with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.