Hannah Waddingham, the talented actress who played the role of Rebecca in the hit series Ted Lasso, recently opened up about her experience working on the show and her close relationship with the show’s creator, Jason Sudeikis.
In a preview clip from her upcoming interview with TODAY’s Willie Geist on Sunday Sitdown, Waddingham reminisced about how she was cast for the role of Rebecca.
She revealed that Sudeikis had a “vision” of who should play Rebecca and that he had to get to know Waddingham first. This revelation made Waddingham emotional, as she knew that Sudeikis doesn’t give compliments lightly.
Waddingham and Sudeikis Bond
Waddingham and Sudeikis have since become close friends, with Waddingham attending Sudeikis’ charity show in Kansas City in November 2023 and singing a duet of “Shallow” with him.
The rest of the Ted Lasso crew also crashed Waddingham’s Apple TV+ Christmas special, which premiered a few weeks later.
Waddingham described Ted Lasso as Sudeikis’ “baby” and said that she has never worked so hard to hear Sudeikis’ approving “uh-huh” on set from behind his character’s mustache.
Waddingham revealed that Sudeikis once told her, “I saw Rebecca first. And then I had to get to know Hannah.” She confessed, “It made me very emotional when I heard him say it, because he doesn’t give compliments lightly. That was just gorgeous.”
She added that it didn’t matter who else was there or who was directing; all that mattered was getting Sudeikis’ approval.
The cast was also “spoiled senseless” due to the talent in the writers’ room, which included Brendan Hunt, who also starred as Ted’s best friend Coach Beard, Brett Goldstein, or Roy Kent, and Phoebe Walsh.
Just like their characters, Rebecca and Ted, Waddingham and Sudeikis have since become friends. They even attended each other’s events, like Sudeikis’ charity show in Kansas City in November 2023, where they sang a duet of “Shallow,” and Waddingham’s Apple TV+ Christmas special, which the “Ted Lasso” crew crashed.
Waddingham told Willie that “Ted Lasso” is Sudeikis’ “baby,” and she’s “never worked so hard” to hear Sudeikis’ approving “uh-huh” on set from behind his character’s mustache.
“Just that ‘uh-huh,'” she said with a laugh. “It doesn’t matter who else is there. It kinda didn’t matter who was directing.”
While the show had an exceptional writers’ room, including Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard), Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent), and Phoebe Walsh, Waddingham emphasized that “the buck stops” with Sudeikis.
And as they were filming the third and final season, Waddingham wanted Sudeikis to be there when she did some of her final scenes.
“I used to go, ‘Is Jason — is he filming? Is he filming? Can we just wait a little bit? Is he around?'” she told Willie. “Because I wanted to get that ending right with him.”
This isn’t the first time Waddingham has commented on their special relationship. During her first Emmy win in 2021 for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, she thanked Sudeikis for seeing something in her.
“When somebody sees something in you, like I’ve had very few points in my career elsewhere, you don’t want to let that person down, you know?” she told Willie.
As the show came to an end, Waddingham wanted Sudeikis to be there when she did some of her final scenes.
She would ask if Sudeikis was filming and would wait for him to be around before doing her scenes. Waddingham wanted to get the ending right with him, as she had a special relationship with Sudeikis, who saw something in her and gave her the opportunity to play Rebecca.
During her first Emmy win in 2021 for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, Waddingham thanked Sudeikis for seeing something in her and not wanting to let him down.
She also expressed her hope for the show to continue, saying that she would love for it to continue but that it’s not for her unless Sudeikis is down with it.
The finale episode of Ted Lasso saw Ted return to Kansas to be with his son, but the fate of the characters in England was left open-ended, leaving many fans to hope for the possibility of a spinoff.
Waddingham appeared on TODAY, Nov. 13 and when asked about the future of the show, she said she would “love” for it to continue.
Hannah Waddingham’s experience working on Ted Lasso was a special one, marked by her close relationship with Jason Sudeikis and the talented cast and crew.
Her desire to have Sudeikis present for her final scenes and her hope for the show to continue highlights the impact that the show has had on her career and personal life.
