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Estimates suggest nearly 1.8 billion people tuned in to watch Spain beat Argentina in the final of the men’s World Cup last month – but the players weren’t the only larger-than-life figures on the pitch. During the final’s half-time show, amidst the pop sensations, dancers and Muppets, a starring role went to two “soccer” coaches named Lasso and Beard.
Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt strode out on to the pitch, playing their Ted Lasso characters for the world – and if it was a surprise for viewers, it was just as unexpected for their co-stars.
“I was out with friends, and then my phone started pinging,” Rex Hayes, who plays new football recruit Siobhan, tells RT. “Eventually I thought, ‘That’s too many messages. What’s wrong? So I checked, and I was like, ‘Wow, that is the craziest thing ever, for those two characters to be partaking in the half-time show at the final of the World Cup. That’s a lot of people watching right now.”
“I had no idea,” adds Aisling Sharkey, who plays Hayes’s team-mate – and on-screen twin sister – Niamh. “I was watching with my mates, and everyone was like, ‘Oh my God, you know him, you know him!’ I said, ‘Yeah, I do, actually!’ He texted me happy birthday. And here he is at the World Cup.”
It’s an appropriately larger-than-life return for Ted, Beard and the gang, whose unlikely success on the pitch in the first three series was mirrored by the show’s success on Apple TV. For years, the show, which follows a wholesome American football coach seconded to coach an English Premier League team, set records on the platform and made stars of its cast, including Brits Brett Goldstein, Hannah Waddingham and Nick Mohammed.
The series ended, for good, it seemed, in 2023 – or so its creators thought. Now, three years on, Ted and Beard are back in Richmond, but with a new twist inspired by co-creators Sudeikis and Hunt’s last few months filming series three.
“We were fortunate enough to be in London when the Lionesses won the 2022 Uefa European Championship,” Sudeikis explains. “The whole country was celebrating, so it was incredibly exciting. Then we got to meet some of the players and became friendly with them, which was a great experience.”
That inspired Sudeikis, Hunt and their writers to tackle something different. Working with real experts, including Lionesses captain Leah Williamson, they wrote a new series exploring the world of women’s football. Ted has been roped in to help launch Richmond’s first women’s team, the Lady Greyhounds, as they embark on their first season.
'We had to beat each other up'
New Richmond AFC stars Aisling Sharkey and Rex Hayes on getting fit, their on-screen rivalry and the humanity of football
There’s been a break since the last series of Ted Lasso. How is this incarnation different?
Rex Hayes This version is about a women’s football team, the Lady Greyhounds, and the differences between men’s and women’s football. We learn a lot about that, and how there are really specific differences for women’s players. But it’s not that different. It’s still the same show.
Aisling Sharkey This season has the same energy as season one. It’s light-hearted. It’s feel-good. But the subject matter is really important. I can’t speak for England, but growing up in Ireland we had some great footballers in our primary school, but there was no girls’ team. The only girl who ever went on to play professionally was a girl who used to play on the boy’s team in primary school and secondary school, because there wasn’t a team for her. Now she’s a pro, which is class – but she’s probably getting paid pennies.
Tell us about the characters that you play?
Rex I play Siobhan, and she is a twin sister to Niamh, played by Aisling. And we are members of the football team. That’s all I can really tell you, to be honest!
Aisling I’m the younger sibling, which says more than enough, even though they’re twins. Twin politics plays a part.
It’s hard enough to find someone who’s the right fit for a role, but you also had to match each other as twins. What was that like?
Rex In the audition, I said my line and Aisling started really taking the piss out of what I just said. And I was like, “I’m not having that.” Partly as the character, and partly as Rex. I started giving it back and I think that got us the job.
Aisling On the first day on set we had to beat each other up. We went, “Hi, nice to meet you, everyone,” and then we were scrambling on the floor. My stud went into Rex’s leg and gave them a huge bruise. It was like, “straight in, no kissing!”
Rex We both have little brothers and I’ve definitely drawn on that relationship with Aisling. It’s hard to imagine her as not my real-life twin now. It’s quite bizarre that she actually isn’t!
Were you football fans already?
Aisling In Ireland, we have Gaelic football and it’s like a political thing to support Gaelic football or soccer. My ex-boyfriend was also a referee, so I was going to so much s**t university football! I spent so many mornings on a pitch with a runny nose and getting a cold. So I’ve seen a lot of football.
Rex I’ve supported Liverpool my whole life. I’ve also played football for most of my life. I stopped playing when I was 12 years old, because I couldn’t play with the boys any more. If I’d had a team to play for, I might have been a footballer in a different life. Now I’m living out that dream, but without having to give up doughnuts! It’s lush.
I heard there was a boot camp to turn the actors into believable football players. How was that?
Aisling Oh my God, I had the most fun ever. I was like: “I love football! I’ll be fine!” Then the first day, I was dogs**t! I was really bad. Some of us are actors who play football, some of the team are footballers who can act.
Rex I’ve got decent skills, I would say. But my ability on the ball and my fitness was definitely better when we finished filming compared to when I started.
Cristo Fernández, who played Dani Rojas in the earlier series of Ted Lasso, has now actually gone pro. Could any of the Lady Greyhounds follow in his footsteps?
Rex If Liverpool want to call me up as a super-sub for any of the next WSL season, I’m open. Just give me a call.
Some people say Ted Lasso made football a bigger sport in America. Could it do the same for the women’s game?
Aisling That’s already happening anyway with the Lionesses. They win all the time. Also in America, women’s football – women’s soccer – is way bigger than it is over here, because the men’s soccer isn’t as good.
Rex Yeah, it’s actually been far more popular over there for years and years compared to here in the UK. I feel like it will absolutely welcome new audiences and people to women’s soccer, in a way that season one to three of Ted taught lots of people about football in general.
I happen to be a football fan, so this show was an easy sell for me, but I speak to so many people who are massive fans who don’t enjoy football, and fell in love with it via the characters. You fall in love with human beings, and then by proxy, you want Richmond men’s team to do well. And I feel like that’s the same thing here. I think it will teach people a lot about women’s sport, but it’s also going to teach you about human beings.
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