- Interviews
Jason Sudeikis: “Human Beings are More Alike Than Different”
Like many 7-year-olds, Jason Sudeikis spent numerous Saturday afternoons on his local soccer fields in Overland Park, Kansas, trying to score a goal. But any future in the game for the young boy was derailed when he discovered that his true love was for another sport, basketball, a love which would lead him some years later to win a scholarship in the sport at Fort Scott Community College. As dedicated as Sudeikis was to the game, there was still another calling that would again divert his attention. Soon, he dropped out of college, moved to Chicago and began his pursuit of improv comedy.
His sports background has now paid off for the 45-year-old actor and former SNL performer as he stars in the new Apple TV+ comedy series, Ted Lasso. In the series, Sudeikis plays an American college football coach who is brought to England to coach a professional soccer team, AFC Richmond. The only problem – as he casually mentions at his first press conference in front of the local British sports media – is that “
Could I be a coach? I could be a coach in the sense that I would know to put smarter people around me. I could speak to the press. I would be good at that. But tactics-wise, knowing what makes a great player, no. I would be even less successful than Ted.
One of the perks of filming the show is that you actually shot in England. How did you like the local culture?
It was great: one of the neatest things about being an actor for hire is that you get to go and really live in another city, have a purpose and be a citizen of that place. Everyone was really nice. The thing that I have found through my travel – and my mom is a travel agent, so I have gotten to realize this early on – is that we as human beings are more alike than different. While there is always the “fish out of water” element when we travel, that water starts to be more affected by us than we are by the water. The temperature shifts and changes. I loved London. I cannot wait to go back.
How British did you become?
I didn’t pick up the accent, and I never said “flat” instead of “apartment.” But, again, outside of about 200 words, we are all kind of similar. We dance to music and get frustrated when people don’t listen. We fall in love and get our hearts broken. We are all human beings.
Some of those human beings on the show are pretty passionate about their teams. How passionate a team supporter are you?
I am a Kansas kid, so I grew up rooting for the Royals, the Chiefs, and the Jayhawks. When we got to England, my buddy and costar Brendan Hunt and I decided to go see a few games. He is a huge Arsenal fan, so, when we rode the tube to the games, he would wear his Arsenal jersey. One ride, there was this woman around our age with her young daughter. They supported Tottenham and the daughter started talking trash to Brendan. You would have thought that the mom would come in and stop it, but she joined in and laid into him as well (laughs). For me, I tend to let the scoreboard do the talking. But when provoked, I can talk trash with the best of them.
Not only does Ted Lasso coach, but he also bakes. So how good would Jason be in the kitchen?
I am not much of a cook – I can barely make ice. I am more like George C. Scott in The Hustler: I’ll go to a steak house and peel off a couple of $20s. I take after my father, who used to say, “I’ll buy, you fly” – that was his way of saying to go pick up some food, like tacos or BBQ, from someplace. That is more my style. I leave it to the people who know what they are doing to do the good work.