Caught Stealing Post-Credits Scene Features Major Cameo
Caught Stealing slips in a big reveal after the credits roll.
Yes, Darren Aronofsky put a post-credits scene in his new crime thriller. I did not have 'Aronofsky does a Marvel-style stinger' on my 2025 bingo card, but here we are. And the cameo is a good one.
The post-credits reveal
After the credits start rolling on 'Caught Stealing,' Laura Dern shows up as Hank Thompson's mother. If you watched the movie wondering who was on the other end of Hank's phone calls, this is the payoff. The main feature only gives us her voice while Hank (Austin Butler) calls from New York and she answers from California, mostly bonding over the San Francisco Giants and the baseball career Hank lost after a car accident. The stinger initially frames her in a way that could have kept the casting a mystery, but it ultimately makes it clear: that voice you heard all along belongs to Laura Dern.
In the scene, she opens a package at home and finds the money her son sent her. That moment ties off the movie's big chase.
How we get there (the quick version)
Hank stumbles into $4 million sitting in a storage unit owned by his neighbor Russ (Matt Smith). That discovery turns him into a chew toy for a corrupt cop, Detective Roman (Regina King), and both Russian and Jewish mobsters. By the end, Hank bails on New York with Russ's cat, Bud, and half the cash headed for Tulum, Mexico. The other half? He ships it to his mom — which is exactly what Dern opens in the tag.
The Butler-Dern connection
Butler recently told Men's Health that Dern resembles his mother, who passed away in 2014. Knowing that gives the cameo a little extra emotional weight beyond the clever reveal.
Who made this and who is in it
- Director: Darren Aronofsky, returning to crime-thriller territory; past films include 'Requiem for a Dream' (2000), 'The Wrestler' (2008), and 'The Whale' (2022).
- Cast: Austin Butler as Hank Thompson; Regina King as Detective Roman; Zoe Kravitz co-stars; Matt Smith plays Russ; Laura Dern appears as Hank's mother in the post-credits scene.
'Caught Stealing' opened in U.S. theaters August 29, 2025. If you go, maybe stick around for the credits — Aronofsky actually rewards the wait this time.