DATE : 3RD OF DECEMBER 2020
Ted Lasso is an amazing concept and we let that be known in our review as well. And when we heard Ted Lasso was not only renewed for a second season but also had a season 3 greenlit by Apple TV, The Movie Culture got in contact with Brendan Hunt who is one of the creators behind Ted Lasso and he also appears in the show as Lasso’s second in command.
Greetings Mr. Brendan Hunt, we at The Movie Culture are thrilled to have you. We are looking forward to get an insight into your work life.
Brendan Hunt: Right on, thanks for having me.
Q. To start off with our interview, I wanted to ask you about Ted Lasso, because you are not just an actor but you help co-create the show. Could you tell us how Ted Lasso came to be?
Brendan Hunt: The character was originally created for an ad campaign in America to help promote a new broadcast deal for the English Premier League on NBC Sports in 2013. The following year we did a sort of sequel for it, as the character had apparently proved quite popular. So then the three writers of those spots- Jason Sudeikis, Joe Kelly and myself- started working on trying to make a series around the character. Eventually Bill Lawrence came along and got us over the finish line and here we are.
Q. Now as a Creator we assume you had the task of building the entire mythology of the show but where does that job end and your job as an Actor start? How do you multitask is basically what I’m asking?
Brendan Hunt: I guess my roles of writer and actor are just super-intertwined. I’m essentially always in writer mode- trying to help punch up dialogue, say- and that doesn’t go away when I have to get in front of the camera. It’s all of a piece.
Q. You have worked with Jason Sudeikis before on We are the Millers and now you guys teamed up for Ted Lasso. What was it like creating this Character who is just a good person at heart? Does it help that you and Sudeikis had a work relationship before?
Brendan Hunt: Jason and Joe and I have all known each other and worked together in one capacity or another for 20-odd years. Over that time you develop a shorthand and an understanding with each other, and yeah, that helps a ton. As for creating a good person, I guess we just pictured Ted as a guy we aspired to be, and went from there.
Q. Football fans are very much involved with their Clubs and British Premier League fans are one such bunch. How did you guys approach that? Given you guys mention certain names and feature Man City in one of the Episodes.
Brendan Hunt: The three of us are all Americans who were sports fans but not football fans- the States still being largely immune to “soccer” when we were all growing up- until we each moved to Amsterdam to perform with a comedy troupe there called Boom Chicago. In that time, we all caught football fever to differing but life-altering degrees. We all love the sport now, so it comes naturally that we approached the subject matter with great affection, while also having massive respect for English football culture, and never losing our awareness of how much we do not know. It all radiates from there.
Q. Apple TV not only renewed Ted Lasso for a Season 2 but for a 3rd Season as well. How much story do you guys have planned out? And what do you think of Apple showing such faith in you guys?
Brendan Hunt: We’ve always had a three-season arc in mind, and we feel very fortunate to have been given the chance to complete that. It’s pretty cool that Apple felt compelled to give us three before we’d even started shooting the second one.
Q. You have done a lot of comedy over the years, Ted Lasso in general and earlier works. If I may ask, what attracts you to this genre?
Brendan Hunt: I can’t say that it was ever a choice. It just always was what I was going to do with my life, a self-evident truth.
Q. Ted Lasso received great reviews for it’s first season, so do you feel pressure going on about further seasons?
Brendan Hunt: Can’t let bad reviews get you down, and you can’t let good reviews give you a big head. We deeply appreciate the response, but we try not to let it affect our focus in the long run.
Q. Speaking of Films, do you credit a movie which you watched growing up that made you fall in love with films?
Brendan Hunt: My Bodyguard. It was shot and set in parts of my hometown of Chicago that were very familiar to me. That was the first time I felt a connection between my life and something I was watching on a screen.
Q. The Movie Culture is situated in India and we being fans of your work, we’d like to know whether you are aware of Bollywood? If yes, is there an actor you admire or a film?
Brendan Hunt: I wish I could say yes! I am aware of Bollywood and have mad respect for it, both as a genre as an institution, but have yet to partake. I will try to amend this asap!
Q. Do you have any future projects lined up which you’d like to share with us and your fans? Apart from the 2 Seasons of Ted Lasso.
Brendan Hunt: I also write plays, and a play of mine called The Art Couple was eight days from opening at the Kirk Douglas Theater in Los Angeles when the lockdown orders came. It’s really close to my heart and I really hope it gets another chance in a post-COVID world.
Q. Being a successful individual such as yourself, is there a key advice which you give to people trying to make it big? Given the vast competition in the media field, how does one cope with rejection, any words?
Brendan Hunt: You should not sign up for this business in any capacity if you are not prepared to negotiate the emotional minefield of repeated rejection. It is intrinsic to all of this, it is part of what you are signing up for. And if you can accept that, then you can get over the inevitable rejections more quickly, because you will know that they are a sign that you are getting your chances. To the first part of your question, I’m not sure a lot of people “make it big” by focusing on “making it big.” Focus on yourself. Be a good person, be helpful, be someone people like to work with and hang out with, because you are unlikely to get anywhere alone.
With this I would like to wrap up with the interview questions. The Movie Culture would indeed like to thank Mr. Brendan Hunt for agreeing to this wonderful interview.
Brendan Hunt: The pleasure was mine! Thanks!
The Movie Culture Synopsis
We hope what Mr. Hunt said about writing and especially his last answer about making it big, should indeed resonate well with aspiring talents.
And now that he has mentioned that Ted Lasso was always intended for 3 Seasons, it’ll be exciting to see the story playout since Ted Lasso has two more seasons in production.
Brendan Hunt is an exciting individual and it was certainly an overwhelming experience at our end, you can catch him on Ted Lasso on Apple TV+.
