Marvel is in the midst of Phase 4, which is bringing in new faces, as well as setting the stage for the Multiverse Saga, which was recently announced. Despite its intent on refreshing the franchise with new additions, Marvel is still tapping into its well of fan-favorites.
Thor: Love and Thunder is the latest MCU film, and it, like other Phase 4 projects, brought new things to the table. Hercules, for instance, was introduced in the film, and he was played by Brett Goldstein.
Goldstein didn't have a lot of time to get jacked for the role, so he went to extreme measures. We have the details on how he did it below!
'Thor: Love And Thunder' Is Marvel's Latest Film
Thor: Love and Thunder hit theaters earlier this year, and it marked the 29th film in the MCU.
The highly-anticipated movie was the follow-up to Ragnarok, a film that completely changed Thor's character in the best way possible, and it was poised to be the next great Marvel movie.
Critically, the film did not receive a kind welcome. At the time of this writing, Love and Thunder is rated as the second-worst MCU movie on Rotten Tomatoes, with on Eternals being ranked below it. This marks yet another Phase 4 Marvel flick that many people were not particularly fond of.
At the box office, however, Love and Thunder has fared quite well. The film has managed to cross the $700 million-mark. Sure, that falls well short of the box office haul for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but we're sure that Kevin Feige and the brass at Marvel are okay with $700 million.
Despite the negative reception, the film managed to bring some incredible new things into the fold. Thor: Love and Thunder introduced many new characters into the MCU, including a character from Greek mythology.
It Finally Introduced Hercules But The Casting Came At The Last Second
Hercules is officially in the MCU, and fans were pleasantly surprised to see him pop up in the film's post-credit scene. Though his time on screen was short, his appearance has massive ramifications for the franchise's future.
Brett Goldstein might not be a household name, but he was the one that Marvel tabbed for the role. It turned out to be a fantastic pick, and fans are hyped to see more of the actor in the future.
Incredibly, Goldstein got the call from out of the blue, something that completely caught him by surprise.
"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?' So yeah, it was as surprising to me as I think it has been to other people," the actor said.
That call changed everything, and Goldstein suddenly found himself needing to go from dad bod, to God bod in a flash.
Goldstein was jacked in the movie, and he had little time to pull this off. As such, he had to resort to drastic measures.
How Brett Goldstein Got A Pump For The Role
So, how did Brett Goldstein get jacked to play Hercules in Thor: Love and Thunder? According to the actor, he had to crank things up.
"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 said.
That's an insane way of getting a quick pump, but clearly, Goldstein was hellbent on getting his look down for the role.
While we only got a glimpse of Goldstein as Hercules in the film, the truth is that the actor does not know what his future at Marvel holds.
"I truly, honestly — this isn’t me lying or being coy — I know nothing. All I know is what I did that day and that’s it. That could be it. It was a fun three seconds," Goldstein said.
If Brett Goldstein does get the chance to reprise the role of Hercules in the MCU, then he'll likely have far more time to get jacked for his performance. If that's the case, then there's no telling just how big the actor will get.
