Jason Sudeikis (‘Ted Lasso’) Still Believes

Jason Sudeikis (0:00)

Wait a minute, to Lorne specifically, you're going to bust us on, you're going to be logic cop for us? Man, you're the one that put on Toontz's The Driving Cat.

You made this nonsense, you turned us into this on your watch, homie. Don't you try to go suit on me, buddy. Come to the stairwell, let's get down.

Sam Fragoso (0:26)

Welcome to the show.

Today, actor, comedian, and writer, Jason Sudeikis. For most of the early 2000s, he was a staple at Saturday Night Live, often the straight man opposite Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Fred Armisen. Sudeikis left after a decade at 30 Rock in 2013, going on to star in films like Horrible Bosses, Where the Millers, and Sleeping with Other People, my personal favorite. But amid that run of films, Sudeikis appeared in a series of NBC commercials promoting the Premier League, in which he played a blustering American football coach, accidentally hired to run a soccer team across the pond. The ad spots did remarkably well, and would eventually serve as the prototype for what would become Ted Lasso, which in its first three seasons has received 61 Emmy nominations, 13 Emmy wins, and emerged as a cultural phenomenon and breakout hit for Apple TV+. Sudeikis joined us recently on the heels of the season four finale, a season of which, as you'll hear at the top, was not a given by any means. So we start today by talking about the gap between season three and season four, this new chapter in the Ted Lasso universe he wanted to explore with the Lady Greyhounds and how the show speaks to this larger cultural moment. Then we turn to Jason's beginnings in Kansas City, his formative years doing improv at Boom Chicago and Second City, the audition that landed him a writing job at Saturday Night Live, and what he learned from both Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels once he got there. Then finally, in Act III, we talk about the ways in which Ted Lasso has mirrored Jason's own life, self-worth, divorce, co-parenting, and how making the show helped him through some of the darker moments over the last few years. As always, I want to say a big thank you to people listening and watching, whether it's on Apple, Spotify, YouTube. An episode like this one, as you'll understand in a little bit, is why I made this show in the first place back in 2016

I want to thank Jason here at the top for coming on and for all the time and being so vulnerable. I want to thank you, whether you're listening or watching. The best thing you can do is subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube. If you want to share the show, you can tag us at TalkEasyPod, share it with a friend, family member, anyone that you think may enjoy the kind of conversations we have here each and every week. As always, my email is talkeasypod at gmail.com. Without further ado, here is Jason Sudeikis.

Jason Sudeikis.

Jason Sudeikis (3:08)

Yes, sir.

Sam Fragoso (3:09)

Welcome to the show.

Jason Sudeikis (3:10)

Thank you for having me.

Sam Fragoso (3:10)

How are we doing, man?

Jason Sudeikis (3:11)

We're doing all right. Yeah.

Sam Fragoso (3:12)

Is that true?

Jason Sudeikis (3:14)

Yes. Yeah, yeah. I mean, if I were to go full 30,000, 300,000 foot view.

Sam Fragoso (3:20)

I think it's 30

Jason Sudeikis (3:21)

Doing great. 30, then yeah, still solid.

Sam Fragoso (3:23)

300 seems really far.

Jason Sudeikis (3:24)

It seems obnoxious.

Sam Fragoso (3:25)

Yeah.

Jason Sudeikis (3:25)

What are you doing all the way up there? Can't breathe up there. Let's go right down to 30 Yeah, 30 is still really solid.

Sam Fragoso (3:30)

I just want to be transparent. At the end of season three, which I really enjoyed, I was under the assumption that the show was done.

Jason Sudeikis (3:38)

Yeah. Me and you.

Sam Fragoso (3:39)

You felt that way too, right?

Jason Sudeikis (3:40)

Yeah, yeah, 100 percent.

Sam Fragoso (3:42)

In everything in the press that I read, it was like you had three seasons mapped out, you did it, it went pretty well, and then everyone was excited to come back, but you were the one holding out, or the one that did not see the next step of it. So tell me, where were you at at the end of season three?

Jason Sudeikis (4:04)

Physically, emotionally, spiritually.

SPEAKER_3 (4:05)

Yeah, I think those two especially. Yeah, we'll take the spiritually at third.

Sam Fragoso (4:09)

Then how the hell did you get back to season four?

Jason Sudeikis (4:12)

Emotionally, I would say drained. It was a lot, and the post-production process, we were still working on stuff up until, I think I maybe gave thumbs up on a couple of fake magazine covers the day before the strike started. And so I went from driving into Warner Brothers' lot and editing it every day, from like 10 till 5, to then parking down the street and walking in a circle, holding a stick with a sign on it for X amount of a couple times a week, typically, at that point.