Hannah Waddingham On Her Friendship With Jason Sudeikis

Hannah Waddingham is reflecting on the tip of “Ted Lasso” — and why it was necessary to have Jason Sudeikis by her facet each step of the best way.

In a preview clip from her upcoming interview with TODAY’s Willie Geist on Sunday Sitdown, Waddingham recounted the story behind how she was forged.

Willie mentioned he had heard Sudeikis say in an interview that he had a “imaginative and prescient” of who ought to play Rebecca, the proprietor of AFC Richmond who initially employed Ted Lasso because the workforce’s coach with villainous intent however step by step turns into one of many present’s coronary heart facilities.

Waddingham revealed that Sudeikis as soon as instructed her, “I noticed Rebecca first. After which I needed to get to know Hannah.”

“It made me very emotional after I heard him say it, as a result of he would not give compliments calmly,” Waddingham instructed Willie. “That was simply beautiful.”

Like their characters, Rebecca and Ted, Waddingham and Sudeikis have since develop into pals. Waddingham attended Sudeikis’ charity present in Kansas Metropolis in November 2023, they usually sang a duet of “Shallow.” Then, Sudeikis and the remainder of the “Ted Lasso” crew crashed Waddingham’s Apple TV+ Christmas particular, which premiered just a few weeks later.

Waddingham instructed Willie that “Ted Lasso” is Sudeikis’ “child,” and he or she’s “by no means labored so onerous” to listen to Sudeikis’ approving “uh-huh” on set from behind his character’s mustache.

“Simply that ‘uh-huh,'” she mentioned with fun. “It doesn’t matter who else is there. It kinda didn’t matter who was directing.”

Along with Sudeikis, Waddingham mentioned the forged was “spoiled mindless” because of the expertise within the writers’ room, which included Brendan Hunt, who additionally starred as Ted’s finest pal Coach Beard, Brett Goldstein, or Roy Kent, and Phoebe Walsh.

However, “the buck stops” with Sudeikis — and whereas submitting the third and closing season, Waddingham mentioned she wished the “Ted Lasso” star and creator to be there when she did a few of her closing scenes.

“I used to go, ‘Is Jason — is he filming? Is he filming? Can we simply wait a little bit bit? Is he round?'” she instructed Willie. “As a result of I wished to get that ending proper with him.”

This is not the primary time Waddingham has commented on their particular relationship. Throughout her first Emmy win in 2021 for excellent supporting actress in a comedy sequence, she additionally thanked Sudeikis who noticed one thing in her.

“When any person sees one thing in you, like I’ve had only a few factors in my profession elsewhere, you don’t need to let that individual down, ?” she instructed Willie.

Season Three of “Ted Lasso” resulted in Could 2023 after a lot confusion over if it really marked “the tip” of the beloved comedy sequence.

The finale episode noticed Ted return to Kansas to be along with his son, however the destiny of the characters in England was left open-ended, leaving many followers to hope for the opportunity of a derivative.

Waddingham appeared on TODAY Nov. 13 and when requested about the way forward for the present, she mentioned she would “love” for it to proceed.

“However, I imply, one factor’s for certain,” she mentioned. “Except the person himself is down with that, then it’s not for me.”