What you need to know
- The cast and crew of Ted Lasso sat down for an interview with Variety.
- They talked about the inspiration and growth of their characters.
In an interview with Variety, Jason Sudeikis, star of Apple TV+ runaway hit Ted Lasso, talked about the inspiration behind the character that we all love so much. According to the star, the character was based on previous mentors seen in films throughout the years.
"(The character) is rooted in these teachers here, and mentors, these Obi-Wan Kenobi types that see more in you than you can see in yourself, and that optimism," said Sudeikis, who also executive produces the show. "We wanted someone that when they spoke, could speak intelligently from a high EQ (emotional quotient), and celebrated the divine feminine."
Hannah Waddingham, who plays team owner Rebecca Welton in the series, pushed back on some who believe Welton to be a cold, ruthless woman.
"In my eyes, there's no part of her that's the villain. She's the wronged, usurped woman," Waddingham said. "And I feel like I'm fractionally flying the flag for, well, men and women who've gone through that heartbreak in their lives. But people see something very different when they just look at the surface."
Phil Dunster, who plays Jamie Tartt on the show, talked about the importance of his character as is matches the attitude of many young football players when they come into the sport.
"For a lot of these young footballers, they come at it from an age of, I don't know, 16," he said. "They're told that the world is at their feet, and so they get a demigod complex. It's the lessons that sometimes you really don't want to get, or the hard ones that you know that someones been trying to tell you for a little bit, and I think they can sometimes be the best lessons in life."
Brett Goldstein, who plays Roy Kent and also writes for the series, says that the writing changed as the season went on and the actors took over ownership of their roles.
"Once we had this cast, from episode three on, it was so easy to write for everyone because you knew all these people now," Goldstein, who is also a writer on the show, said. "And it did change how we wrote some of the characters, because you'd lean into what's funny about that actor, and how their voice is.
Ted Lasso has already been renewed for a second and third season. You can watch the first season in its entirety on Apple TV+ right now.
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