HBO’s The Gilded Age returned for its fourth season with two unexpected celebrity appearances. According to Deadline, Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, Oppenheimer) and David Letterman (Late Show with David Letterman, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction) made brief, silent cameos during the season premiere.
The pair appear around eight minutes and 33 seconds into the episode, walking across the street together. Damon wears a top hat, long coat, and mustache, while Letterman appears in a bowler hat with his familiar beard.
Deadline notes that neither actor speaks during the scene, and their characters are not identified. Despite their brief appearances, the cameos add an unexpected moment to a premiere filled with major developments for the show’s central characters.
One of the episode’s biggest surprises involves Oscar van Rhijn, played by Blake Ritson (Da Vinci’s Demons, The Nevers), marrying Enid Turner, portrayed by Kelley Curran (The Gilded Age, The Blacklist). Their marriage offers both characters an arrangement that accommodates their personal lives.
Following the wedding, Marian, played by Louisa Jacobson (The Gilded Age, Gone Hollywood), reunites with her former fiancé Larry Russell, portrayed by Harry Richardson (Poldark, Doctor Thorne). The two spend the night together after seeking shelter from the rain, leaving Marian concerned about her reputation the following morning.
Elsewhere, Peggy celebrates the publication of her book, although her future mother-in-law, Elizabeth Kirkland, played by Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show, Creed), remains unimpressed. Gladys, portrayed by Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story, The Nun), also faces a medical emergency during childbirth. Although she and her newborn son survive, doctors perform a hysterectomy to save her life.
Meanwhile, Agnes van Rhijn, played by Christine Baranski (The Good Wife, The Good Fight), discovers that Oscar’s new wife previously worked as Bertha Russell’s lady’s maid. Enid later reassures Agnes that she and Oscar understand the nature of their marriage.
While Damon and Letterman’s appearances are brief, they add a surprising element to a premiere already packed with family drama, romance, and unexpected revelations.