Brett Goldstein

The breakout star on Ted Lasso laces up and lets the expletives fly so people can finally have something to smile about.

- By John Quinn

Congrats on all the Emmy noms!

It’s mental. Truthfully, none of us expected anyone to watch the show. It feels like it’s a prank and I keep waiting for people to go, “Only joking!”

Why do you think Ted Lasso is so endearing to viewers?

I’ve thought about that a lot and think the show’s success is a reaction to all the negative public discourse that’s been all over our screens, in the media, in the news that’s become so mean and unpleasant. People were proud of being horrible to each other and it was ugly and disturbing how normalized it had all become. So the success of Ted Lasso speaks to how starved we are to see people look out for each other, despite challenges in their own life. The show tapped into this need for decency.

Your character, Roy Kent, could use some work on his manners.…

Well, I love that character. We have a lot in common.

How did you go from being a writer on the show to being cast as Roy?