Jason Sudeikis changed Ted Lasso's "belligerent" character after realizing the world didn't need more Donald Trump.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Sudeikis spoke about how the main character of Apple TV Plus' most successful show was initially more comically aggressive. But when Donald Trump started to gain momentum in 2015, Sudeikis decided to change Ted Lasso completely.
Sudeikis decided to make Lasso more bubbly and cheerful because of "the culture we were living in,"
"I'm not terribly active online and it even affected me. Then you have Donald Trump coming down the escalator. I was like, 'OK, this is silly,' and then what he unlocked in people… I hated how people weren't listening to one another. Things became very binary and I don't think that's the way the world works. And, as a new parent – we had our son Otis in 2014 – it was like, 'Boy, I don't want to add to this.' Yeah, I just didn't want to portray it."
This explains why the original NBC adverts for the English Premier League showcased a more vocal Ted Lasso, that leaned closer to the arrogant and obnoxious line. Luckily, Sudeikis changed the character's personality, and we received a first season that helped us see positivity in a challenging world back in 2020.
Ted Lasso is the American Mary Poppins
With the ending of Ted Lasso season 3 rapidly approaching, the show has come under criticism for losing its direction. But no one can deny that Lasso's heartwarming personality is a much-needed break from reality.
With the show coming to an end, Sudeikis said, “I only did the Boy Scouts for a little bit, but I always loved that notion of: leave the campsite better than you found it,”
“So if Ted Lasso is the American Mary Poppins, he wants to leave the Banks kids, and probably most importantly Mr Banks, with the appreciation of flying a kite. And what I would wish for anyone involved with the show is: don’t cry that it’s over, but smile that it happened.”
