We know him as the grumpy but lovable ex-footballer turned coach Roy Kent, but Kiwi Ted Lasso fans may have been surprised by Goldstein’s most recent appearance.
The British actor stars in a new ad campaign for our very own Les Mills, collaborating with the New Zealand-founded company to promote “a happier and healthier way” of working out.
Outlet The Drum reveals the ad was shot with Goldstein in New Zealand - that’s right, he was in New Zealand and didn’t even call us - and directed by Andreas Nisson.
The ad opens with Goldstein in a gritty training sequence, action-film style.
“I will push past the pain,” he says as his father screams at him to work harder. “I will break free from the shadows of yesterday.”
Brett Goldstein appears in a new advert for Les Mills. Photo / @lesmills
He’s then interrupted by a woman played by Māori actor Acushla-Tara Kupe, who tells him working out doesn’t have to be so “aaarghhh” and takes him to a sunny New Zealand landscape where a Les Mills workout class is underway.
“Is this heaven?” he asks, marvelling at the scene.
“No, New Zealand,” she replies bluntly in classic Kiwi fashion. “It’s where Les Mills comes from.”
The ad shared on the New Zealand-founded fitness company’s Instagram page and on Goldstein’s own page is captioned: “What if working out wasn’t so miserable? I’m proud to help New Zealand fitness leader Les Mills launch a happier and healthier way. Why not choose a science-backed, endorphin-raising workout from one of the happiest places on the planet? Or don’t! Whatever makes you happy.”
Acushla-Tara Kupe stars with actor Brett Goldstein in a new ad for Les Mills. Photo / @lesmills
The actor told The Drum in a statement: “When I travelled to New Zealand, I saw first-hand why the island nation is one of the world’s happiest countries ... there were good vibes in every gym I visited. It even made me smile.”
Goldstein told Forbes that Les Mills initially came to him to suggest the collaboration.
He said of filming in Aotearoa: “When we shot the ad, I met with them and they showed me around their main gym. I was like, ‘This is great!’ There’s this thing called The Trip, which for somebody who loves films, my god, it’s like a giant widescreen. There’s bikes everywhere and you’re doing a class tailored to this widescreen film, but the film is specifically made just for the class. It’s so cool!”
It’s not the actor’s only Kiwi connection - Goldstein also appears at the end of Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder as Hercules.
