Brett Goldstein Had Only Two Weeks to Train for Marvel Debut as Hercules: ‘I’m Doing 400 Push-Ups’ Day of Filming

Zack Sharf

Brett Goldstein got the call to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Hercules just two weeks before he was going to need to film, the “Ted Lasso” Emmy winner revealed to The Playlist. Goldstein’s top-secret role as Hercules was never announced until the character popped up in the post-credits scene in “Thor: Love and Thunder.” The actor said the call to join Marvel came “literally out of the blue one night.”

“They turn around, and they reveal, ‘It’s Hercules; it’s you.’ And I went, ‘What?’ Just like, ‘Are you serious? Are you fucking with me? Is this a wind-up?’” Goldstein said. “So yeah, it was as surprising to me as I think it has been to other people.”

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The actor continued, “When I spoke to Taika, I said, ‘You know I’m basically like a skinny comedian?’ I said, ‘When is this filming?’ It was like in two weeks, and I was like, ‘I mean, I’ll do my best, but two weeks feels …’ I said, ‘He doesn’t have to be as big as Thor, does he?’ And look, on the day, I mean, I’m doing 400 push-ups that day. I was fit to explode. I did the best I could on that day.”

Goldstein’s role was so top secret that he didn’t even tell his parents, who found out about his Hercules casting just like the rest of the world when they watched “Thor: Love and Thunder” on the big screen.

“I didn’t tell anyone because Marvel put a chip in my neck that said ‘If you talk about this you’re dead,’” Goldstein joked to Variety last month. “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!’”

Goldstein knows “nothing” about his future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Thor: Love and Thunder” ends with Zeus (Russell Crowe) commanding his son, Hercules, to go out and hunt Thor down. Presumably, Goldstein and Thor actor Chris Hemsworth will face off in the future.

“I truly, honestly — this isn’t me lying or being coy — I know nothing,” Goldstein told Variety about his MCU future. “All I know is what I did that day and that’s it. That could be it. It was a fun three seconds.”

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