It’s hard to imagine Rebecca Welton being played by anyone other than Hannah Waddingham in “Ted Lasso,” but Apple TV originally didn’t want to cast the British star when it was developing the Jason Sudeikis-led sports comedy in 2019. Instead, it wanted a major star to play the formidable owner of AFC Richmond, and, at the time, Waddingham didn’t hold enough star power to immediately convince the streamer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Before “Ted Lasso,” Waddingham’s best TV roles included the likes of Syfy’s “Krypton” and Netflix’s “Sex Education.” Of course, she also played the terrifying “Game of Thrones” villain, Septa Unella. She’s the “Shame Nun” who torments Cersei Lannister and forces her to march naked through King’s Landing in the HBO series.
To help persuade Apple TV, Waddingham recruited “Game of Thrones” showrunner D.B. Weiss to recommend her. He reportedly wrote an email that said: “Why are we even having this conversation?” But even Waddingham herself went into her audition thinking Apple TV wanted “a big old starry person” instead of her. “I first thought, ‘Well, I can go along and enjoy this audition, because I know I’m never going to get it,'” she told the Los Angeles Times.
Ted Lasso allowed Hannah Waddingham to keep working as a single mother
It appears “Ted Lasso” was destined to cast Hannah Waddingham, because the British star had not long decided to wind back her career to stay close to her daughter when the audition came through. When speaking to Yahoo! Entertainment, Waddingham recalled filming “Krypton” in Belfast when her daughter was hospitalized, and she struggled to make it back to London to be with her straight away.
Although her daughter recovered, Waddingham decided to make a change and told her management team: “‘This is not happening again.'” The star said that she asked the universe for something to help her support them both, saying: “‘But I’m really grateful. Is there any way you could give me something that will really just fill our lives and let me do things with her and as a single mum will keep us financially?”
Two months later, she landed an audition for “Ted Lasso,” and she later won an Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for her work on the show. The titular coach’s iconic mantra, “Believe,” paid off for Waddingham before she even knew it existed. Not only is the series one of the best shows streaming on Apple TV, but it’s also benefited actors like Waddingham in far more meaningful ways.