Nate From “Ted Lasso” Discusses the Show’s Success

NICK MOHAMMED, ACTOR, “TED LASSO”: I think that, you know, when you are making a show, you always want, you know, the best for it. You want it to, you know, find its audience. But I don’t think, you know, anyone could have anticipated the fact that it would connect with so many people in such a, you know, genuinely lovely and positive way. I think, you know, the timing certainly helped. Not saying that the pandemic, obviously, but the timing was good and then, I think that the themes of the show, the positive message, the hope and optimism that pervades it, you know, was definitely welcomed at time when, you know, people were at home and I think, you know, needed a bit of light relief to everything that was going on. But, you know, I think the show would have been, you know, the show, irrespective of the pandemic, I think it, you know, also managed to buck the trend in the sense that I think the market had become the kind of comedy market had become quite saturated with, you know, quite snarky sort of dark or cynical comedies, at which I’m a big fan, to be honest. But this really buck the trend and it felt very refreshing to have is a positive character here who had a real positive message and didn’t really have an ounce of cynicism in him. So, yes, I think it, you know, it is — it really has, you know, kind of gone crazy well. But, you know, I don’t think anyone would have anticipated which is also sort of grateful for it.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Yes. I mean, I’m sure it’s — I mean, it is great for you to be nominate and we wish you good luck for an Emmy. But just on the snarky thing. I read that Jason Sudeikis who’s obviously the star and who obviously created this with his colleagues, said that they based it on the British — you know, “The Office.” Obviously, you know “The Office.” But they couldn’t really use that arc where Ricky Gervais crushed the idea of a bit of — I don’t know how to — you know, someone who is not so, you know, altruistic becoming. So, he decided, Jason, we’ll just start with the idea that the central character or the central story is relentlessly optimistic from beginning to end. That is an interesting device. It is not like it is a change of characters.

MOHAMMED: Yes. It’s — but I think the — but then, I think the thing with “Ted Lasso” is that, Ted, he sort of changes everyone that he interacts with for the good. So, even though, yes, he remains this, you know, incredible positive force, I mean, he has his demons as well, let it be said. You know, he’s got his — you know, his marriage is falling apart and, you know, and sort of like this relationship with his son and, you know, obviously, he’s in England, he’s a fish it of water. But, you know, he’s such a catalyst for good and everyone he interacts with ends up sort of realizing something about themselves or literally becoming a better person. And particularly. in season one, Rebecca played by Hanna Waddingham, you know, starts off as this, you know, almost kind of archetypal villain of the show, but through her interactions with Ted, you know, she absolutely sort of, you know, grows as a character and sees this goodness in herself and, you know, is one of the sort of the best stories in season one, I think.