Hannah Waddingham is opening up about how long she sees Ted Lasso running following season 4 and several past show delays.
“I think you stay with something as long as it has something to say, don’t you? You know, with friends, with shows, with all of it, and the writers that we have in our writers’ room are gangsters. They’re epic. So, as long as they’re writing magnificent material, which they do always, they have me in their pocket,” she exclusively told Us at the Women In Film Honors on Thursday, November 5.
Waddingham, 52, has famously played Rebecca Welton, the owner of the failing-to-thriving football club AFC Richmond, helmed by coach Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), since the Apple TV show’s debut in 2020.
The comedy series racked up 13 Emmy awards in just three years, with Waddingham winning Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2021 after season one.
Ted Lasso has kept its unwavering fan base despite significant delays in past seasons due to script rewrites, production snags, and schedule challenges — most recently between seasons 3 and 4.
There was a three-year time jump in season 4’s story line, and a three-year real-world release gap between the seasons.
Fans were worried their beloved football series wouldn’t be back until Sudeikis, 51, announced on the “New Heights” podcast in March that season 4 was officially being written. Apple TV later announced the cast was reuniting in Kansas City to begin filming.
When asked about a possible season 5, Waddington played coy. Apple TV has not announced a renewal for Ted Lasso.
“I don’t know,” she playfully responded when asked by Us about the show’s future, noting the season finales “always” leave fans and the stars wanting more.
Ted Lasso first followed an American football coach (Sudeikis) who moved across the pond to take over a gritty and losing British soccer team. The latest season evolved, showing Sudeikis reuniting with AFC Richmond as the head coach of the new women’s team.
The beloved series also stars Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent, Juno Temple as Keeley Jones, Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard and more.
The cast has become family, with Waddington crediting Sudeikis for the life-changing role.
“Jason, you changed my life with this,” she said while accepting her Emmy. “I’m so privileged to work with you!”
“Juno Temple, I swear to god, if I could break off one of her arms and give it to you,” Waddingham continued in between squeals of joy.
Waddingham even spoke up when rumors began circulating that she was beefing with Sudeikis earlier this year.
“For the first time ever I am finding it necessary to silence the utter bollocks being written about a ‘rift’ between me and my beloved, long-standing friend and acting partner Jason Sudeikis,” she wrote in June via her Instagram Story, according to Entertainment Tonight.
She added: “Ridiculous, clickbait buuuuuulllls***! Is it a quiet news day or something?! Get a life!!!”
