Spoilers for Season 3 of Ted Lasso are ahead. If you aren’t caught up with the 2023 TV schedule hit, you can stream every episode with an Apple TV+ subscription.
Throughout Ted Lasso’s three-season run the titular character has taught his team as well as the viewers valuable life lessons. From showing us the power of “Believe,” to asking us to “be curious, not judgemental,” there’s a lot to take away from the AFC Richmond coach. Turns out, the same can be said about Jason Sudeikis, who plays the optimistic football-turned-football coach. This is because while speaking with the cast of Ted Lasso they revealed all the sweet lessons they’ve learned from the co-creator, writer, producer and star of one of Apple TV+’s best shows, showing just how much working on this show impacted them.
Considering the Season 3 finale of Ted Lasso really felt like the end, especially for the title character, it was fitting to hear about all the lessons Nick Mohammed, Cristo Fernández and Jeremy Swift took away from working with Sudeikis. And let me tell you, their answers were so sweet.
Nick Mohammed
For Nick Mohammed, who plays Nathan Shelley, the biggest lesson he learned from Jason Sudeikis came from just watching the SNL alum work. While speaking to CinemaBlend about his co-star, the Emmy-nominated actor explained how much he “adores” the man behind Ted Lasso, and the show’s entire team. He also explained how much he’s learned from watching the creative team balance so much with the show, saying:
But how they've managed to balance, everyone's character arcs you know, over three seasons and have that all in their head. They're so good, like you say, on detail, they are across everything. You know, a lot of props suggestions, and hair, makeup and design, all those aspects will kind of go through them and their filter. They're just so on top of it. How they have managed to stay sane through that journey, and not kind of like literally lose the plot with that many plates spinning. I don't know.
The detail put into the show is also something I admire, you can especially see the attention to detail in Nate’s clothes and hair color as it evolves over time.
Along with juggling a million things at once, Mohammed also noted how much he’s learned from watching how Sudeikis work on scenes, saying:
So seeing their work ethic and, how Jason approaches scenes. Actually, very specifically him bringing a real truth to whatever, whichever character or whichever performance, he is able to get that out of every single actor I think, and make it feel very relevant to them. Even if there isn't a real truth there he can really make you feel that it's very real and authentic. So yeah, he's an absolute legend.
Clearly, Jason Sudeikis works closely with the Ted Lasso cast, and it seems like they’ve all learned a lot from him, as Cristo Fernández, who plays Dani Rojas, had similar takeaways.
Cristo Fernández
The importance of mental health as well as the overall craft of creating a show was one of Cristo Fernández’s biggest takeaways. While speaking to us, he said that since joining the show he’s started to prioritize his mental well-being, and as an aspiring filmmaker he’s learned a lot both personally and professionally from Jason Sudeikis, saying:
He really cares so much about the show, and not just the show itself, but also [about] us.
The Dani Rojas actor went onto say that the Ted Lasso star “wants the best” for the cast, and as he re-worked the series he was always thinking of new details that would make everyone better. Fernández elaborated on this idea more, explaining:
Sometimes when he makes comedy to me looks like he's painting and he's thinking of the jokes. And you just see him being and making things better and we're just learning from the master and that's really, really cool.
Overall, the man behind the titular character seemed to really make an impact on Cristo Fernández both personally and professionally. Whereas for Jeremy Swift, his biggest takeaway had to do with his approach to life.
Jeremy Swift
Much like how both Higgins and Jeremy Swift play the bass, there are real-life parallels between Jason Sudeikis and Ted Lasso. These connections between the show’s co-creator and his character culminate in one of the sweet lessons Swift took away from his time on the show, he said:
I think there is a blurring with Jason and Ted a little bit, although [they’re] very, very different people. But I think the intelligence and kindness is the thing that they both have.
He went on to explain how Ted’s philosophy about being curious rather than judgmental has really stuck with him, and he hopes it stays with him forever, explaining:
[The show has] affected me in so much that I wouldn't jump to a critical appraisal of somebody straight away. There's a smarter way to use your brain. Do you know what I mean? And I think that's, that's kind of rubbed off. I hope forever, not just to kind of temporary ‘I just worked with this really great guy. And yeah, Want to be like him.’ But I hope that stays with me. I really do. It's the big thing I'd love to have for the rest of my life, I think.
There really are tons of beautiful takeaways from Ted Lasso, and learning that the cast had a similar experience with Jason Sudeikis while working on the show makes it all the more meaningful. While Ted’s story has come to an end, the lessons he taught will live on forever both for this lovely cast and for viewers too.
