- As a singer,
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- If somebody said to me,
and you know, I don't mind who I admit it to,
if somebody said you could never act again
or never sing again, there would be no competition.
Singing is in my bloodstream.
- It's so freeing.
- It's my catharsis.
It's in my soul and I miss it terribly,
but this show-
- [Kelly] But you sing-
- seems to like getting me to do both.
- I know I was gonna say you sing on Ted Lasso.
- As football club owner.
(Kelly laughs)
- I know, at the karaoke thing and then the Christmas thing.
Yeah. You've, you've sung on this show.
- Yeah.
- Sing, sang, sung, yeah.
Sorry, mom.
- Yeah. Sung.
- Sure. And we all sing here.
That's actually amazing.
- I mean, kinda.
I'm not singing on any West End stages though.
I'm not Kelly Clarkson.
- I'm not, I'm not singing on West End either.
- Nobody's Kelly Clarkson.
- So wait, is it, is it true that "Ted Lasso"
is one of your dad's favorite things
that you've ever done?
- Oh, my dad is very hard to please.
He's very, very English.
He's 81.
He's just had quintuple bypass surgery
on his heart-
- [Kelly] Oh no!
- and he is just very unique.
And lets me know when I'm in something that he's not feeling
or that the people around-
This, he has watched three times,
he's obsessed with the writing.
- So good!
- Right. Yeah. I mean, and that for me is the litmus test.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- He's just-
- [Kelly] It wasn't the fact
that everyone loves it (laughing)?
- [Hannah] Yeah. Yeah, it was probably.
- [Kelly] It is the one person we're always trying to
impress though that matters.
So you really are a football player, right?
- Yeah. Well, I mean I used to play professionally
since I was a kid.
- [Kelly] Wow.
- Yeah, my grandma, when I started to walk
my grandma taught me how to play
in the garage of my house (laughing).
I was always carrying a ball with me.
- [Kelly] I love that.
- And yeah, yeah.
Football was part of me and yeah since a kid,
then playing professionally when I was 15
and then later in life,
I stopped when I decided to study.
And my parents told me to study, and intelligently
because I had some injuries, but then
yeah, football it has been part of my life.
- So how did you land the role on "Ted Lasso?"
Other than being perfect for it?
(both laughing)
- Well, thank you.
I, well, I started my Master in Acting in the UK.
I saved money over there and before going to the UK.
And then I was in Mexico and I received the audition
for Ted Lasso.
I did it, didn't hear anything.
They started shooting in August.
So I thought, well, nothing happened.
But then I received a random tweet from Bill Lawrence,
show runner of the show, who said just,
"Good audition, man."
(Cristo laughing)
- [Kelly] Really?
- And I was like, okay, either he's playing
with my feelings or there's something,
(Kelly laughing)
something good happening.
- Oh My God, that'd be so mean.
- [Cristo] Yeah.
- [JoJo Siwa] So mean.
- Yeah and then I did more auditions and story short
I got the role for an Icelandic man.
So when I arrived on set, I was called Gunnar.
And I was like, "If I'm playing an Icelandic man,
I need more preparation."
- Wait, what?
So originally it wasn't even the role you're in right now?
- No, no, no.
The role was for a guy from Iceland,
but they liked my audition, from what I know now.
That they kept it and that's why they
adapted it to who I am and-
- Oh My God, I love that! You were so great.
That's amazing!
(audience clapping)
- But are you getting recognized everywhere?
- Well, yeah, here in LA, this is where I realized
that a bit of the craziness around the show
which I'm grateful and stuff, yeah. Lots of fans.
I have, I have a funny anecdote that recently,
well I was in a commercial center.
I went to the toilet and um, yeah.
And then I was, I was about to wee (laughing)-
(audience laughing)
and then I just feel, I just feel someone
staring at me and I'm like,
and then this guy very happy
and he just says, "Are you the smiley guy from 'Ted Lasso'?"
Not even my character.
And I'm like, "Uh, yeah."
And he goes like, "Can I have a picture?"
(Cristo and audience laughing)
- Can you, can you give me a minute?
- Not right now.
- And I was like, um um okay-
- You're shaking (laughing).
- And then we got this selfie and he goes,
"Yes, thank you, man."
And he leaves and I was like,
"What the hell just happened?"
(audience laughing) - [Kelly] Yeah!
The show was nominated for a lot of Emmys.
(audience applauding)
And you were also nominated for an Imagen, right?
- Yeah.
- Imagen Award?
- Yeah. Oh, thank you guys.
Yeah, I'm very happy for the nominations
for the show in the Emmys.
But yeah, we got this Imagen award.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- Which awards Latin talent.
And I'm just very grateful.
And especially with the people I'm nominated with
and I share the news with my family,
and my family was more excited with the fact
that I was nominated with Mario Lopez (laughing).
(Kelly and audience laughing)
- Because I grew up, yeah, yeah-
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- I love, I love that guy - [Kelly] I love Mario.
- I love him.
And, and we love him and I grew up watching
"Saved by the Bell."
- [Kelly] Me too.
- So my parents were like,
"Oh my God, Mario Lopez!" - I wanted to be in
Zack Attack.
Yeah, that's cool.
- I wanted be in Zack Attack very much so.
He was always cool. He made that Speedo look very nice.
- [Cristo] Yeah.
- I freaking love Ted Lasso!
- Ahhhhh.
- I'm a nerd.
Like I know everyone says this, I'm not original.
But it's just such a great show.
It's so innovative and different from all the other shows.
And it's just a great, it's a good time.
And I think, especially for everybody, that's just
felt trapped or maybe having a (beep) year.
I dunno if you could say (beep) year on here,
but I just did.
Anyway-
- I mean, depends on the year,
if the year was (beep) enough-
- If it was-
- you can say (beep) year.
- you can label it.
But um, no and it was just such a,
it's just such a great show.
Like, I don't know one person that doesn't like this show.
How does that feel, to be part of such an
amazing show that everyone loves?
(audience applauding)
Like, that's gotta feel cool.
- Thank you.
I mean, it's surprising and awesome.
Like we-
- Is it surprising? Y'all didn't know?
You didn't think?
- No, I mean, we thought, you know
it was probably gonna be pretty good.
There sure were a lot of talented people involved,
but you know, we've all been fans of shows
that then got canceled for reasons we don't understand.
- Yeah.
- And so we never could have anticipated, you know
that I'd get to come here, first of all.
- Yeah!
(audience applauding)
- [Brendan] It's great.
- I would've never anticipated it but I was very excited.
Well, who inspired your character, Coach Beard?
Did you have an inspiration?
- Ummm, several.
- (laughing) You lucky man, you had
several people inspiring you.
- I used to work as a stage hand
at my student union at Illinois State University
in beautiful Normal, Illinois.
The Bone Student Center, AKA the Boner.
(Kelly laughing)
And the guys I worked with there,
you know who my bosses were, just all these like
wonderfully laconic, very Midwestern,
but way smarter than they let on,
guys who were just very dry, very droll.
And then they would just drop in a nugget
when it had had to be said.
Like, I remember one guy, he lost his radio
and just sitting there, just all squat in the back
he lost his radio.
Someone had stolen it or whatever.
And he goes, "Oh no, my nomenclature."
(Kelly and audience laughing)
Like nomenclature?
We're in Normal, Illinois.
Who's saying nomenclature?
- Dropping that knowledge.
- Yeah. So yeah, those guys.
- I love, I love that.
Well, you guys shoot in London, I love London.
Especially at Christmas time.
What's the biggest cultural difference for you?
- Well one physical manifestation that people make fun of
but it's true, is every time I cross the street,
I might die.
Just, that never goes away.
I've now spent a year of the last two years of my life
in London, and every day, several times a day,
I could die the most awkward, embarrassing death
that I'll be known for forever.
And I never ever get used to that.
I have to at every intersection be like (gasping),
- Do they just not pay attention?
- Well, they're just coming from the wrong way.
(audience laughing)
- Oh, well it's the right way where they're at
- But we know-
(Kelly laughing)
- But is it?
So you became friends with your co-star,
Jason Sudeikis right?
Like was it, did y'all like hit it off in Amsterdam?
Is this what I heard?
- [Brendan] Even before Amsterdam.
- It's a place to become friends with people, I think.
- Isn't it? We knew each other in the
Chicago improv scene basically.
- Oh, right on.
- And then I moved to Amsterdam to do comedy out there
and then he eventually followed and
that's when we became like real solid friends.
And that's where I started telling him like,
"Hey man, soccer doesn't suck. Check it out."
(Kelly laughing)
And now it's our job.
- (laughing) And it's the best job ever.