-Our next guest is Emmy-nominated for her work
as Rebecca on the critically acclaimed series "Ted Lasso."
The second season is out now, with new episodes
available Friday on Apple TV+. Let's take a look.
-Mom! There are two white people
at the door, and they're smiling.
-Can I help you? -Good afternoon.
We work for Santa Claus, and I believe he received this.
-My letter! -Yes, we're terribly sorry
that your presents didn't arrive last night.
But as elves,
we've been personally directed by Mr. and Mrs. Claus
to deliver your presents this afternoon
and to apologize for the delay.
-Please welcome to the show Hannah Waddingham.
How are you, Hannah? -Hello, hello!
-It's so -- It's so lovely to speak to you.
I'm such a fan of your work on the show,
and congratulations on your Emmy nomination.
I think the show was expected to receive some nominations.
It got 20.
Were you -- Did you have any expectations on the day
that this was going to happen?
-Oh, my God. I had no expectations at all.
In fact, my manager was like, "We'll get together,
we'll have breakfast." I was like, "No, we won't.
I'm gonna be in bed.
I'm not acknowledging the day at all."
And then he banged on my door and I was like,
"You didn't get the memo!"
And he just said, "Well, you've all been nominated."
And that, I think, is so cool, because we're great pals.
And that would have been a little awks
if some of us hadn't. -Yes.
Surely, there would've been some awks there.
And I want to say that I think
one of the nicest things about reading about the show
as it goes into the second season,
because it's a show that people are drawn to
because of the optimism and the kindness,
it genuinely does seem like
you all like each other a great deal.
-Yeah, we're a bit -- we're a bit nauseatingly
in love with each other. We really are.
It's a little bit gag-worthy, but it's genuine.
And we just -- I think because we're all that little bit older
and we've all been knocking about
for quite a while, we all dig each other
because we've been enjoying each other's work for years.
So, yeah. I mean, journalists are always like,
"Is there not, like, a little...?"
and you're like, "No, no, no, no, there isn't.
We just genuinely think each other's quite cool."
-Do you ever find yourself enjoying the work
of your colleagues while you're in a scene?
-On a take, yeah, yeah. It's a nightmare.
Like, particularly, people like Nick Mohammed.
I just find myself gawping like a fangirl
and wanting to take notes.
And, in fact, he and I have got to the point
where we make each other laugh so much that I have to just
slightly look off, like, to his earlobe.
[ Laughter ] Not good.
-You have one of the more difficult roles because you are
the maybe -- outside of maybe Coach Beard,
you are the most stoic of the characters.
So it's really a bit unfair that you have to be
with people who are so funny.
I know. Well, the worst thing is,
also having quite a giant mouth in real life,
I have to try and keep, you know, contained.
And if they make me laugh in a scene --
like, when Jason's doing his, "Right leg, left leg,
better than the first," I'm just like, "You are an ass."
Just, like, really hard to not laugh.
You know, she's quite like you said -- she's very stoic,
and I couldn't be less like that in life. So, yeah.
-You obviously are English, but you would admit to the fact
that you are not a football fan,
or were not going into this show.
-Not a clue. Hell no.
But I think that's good because, you know,
Rebecca is not meant to know anything about it, either.
So I was being method.
-And so it's very nice that you can turn over the expertise
to some of the writers on the show
when it comes to football. But I've also heard
you've had to step in a few times and correct
maybe the American writing for an English character.
-Yeah, which I was nervous about doing, at first.
I literally felt like I was Mary Poppins on set,
going, "That is not how we speak the Queen's English, boys."
But they were -- they were really like -- you know,
if at the end of a sentence, Rebecca says,
"Oh, I don't know. I guess," I'm like, "No, no."
-[ Laughs ] -"No."
But they're used to it now, 'cause I'm just like,
"She wouldn't say that."
Or that another character wouldn't.
Brett Goldstein does the same.
Juno is, like, somewhere lost over the Atlantic,
so she doesn't know who says what where anymore.
She's like, "Would I not say that?"
I'm like, "No, you're from Somerset, woman.
No, you wouldn't." [ Both laugh ]
-It's really -- It's really wonderful.
And you came from a theater background.
And I know from being friends with a lot of the guys
on the show, they are both theater fans,
they're both musical-theater fans.
Do you feel sort of extra appreciated
knowing that you're around these sort of West End fanboys?
-Well, that's exactly what they are.
In fact, I said to Jason and to Brett
and to our lovely Coach Beard, Brendan,
I was like, "You do realize that, in the West End,
we would call you West End Wendys."
Because they know more show tunes than I do.
I'm meant to be the one that's had like a 20-year
musical-theater career,
and they're suddenly finishing each other's sentences.
I'm kind of sure that's how I got the role
because they're all just like,
"Ooh. I saw you in "Into the Woods."
[ Laughter ]
Brett Goldstein -- I'm telling you, Brett Goldstein
was fangirling like a bitch, and he knows that was true,
so I'm not even speaking out of turn.
[ Laughter ]
-Now, I think this is a great credit to your
range as an actor that I did not know this.
And I'm aware now that a lot of people maybe did know this,
that you were in "Game of Thrones."
And I mean, again, Rebecca's such a glam character
that I sort of forgive myself for not realizing
that you were in "Game of Thrones."
You were the shame... -Looking so, so pretty.
[ Laughter ]
Do you know who I look like? Jar Jar Binks.
-Yeah. It's not -- They did you no favors
with Septa Unella.
Did you even have a makeup person on "Game of Thrones"?
-I did. I did. And they were like,
"Let's add eyebrow hairs where you would take them out.
Let's stipple her cheeks, and chuck her out the door."
But the good thing was, you could fall asleep for a good
four hours in your trailer, and it didn't matter.
You could look like you'd been dug up
and get on camera, and they'd love it.
[ Laughter ] -Now, is this something --
Because it is such a meme-worthy character,
is this something that gets sent your way with regularity?
-I get sent things like that, especially Halloween,
I get sent, mostly guys, which I think's hilarious,
looking all solemn in the Jar Jar Binks gear,
but they have, like, blowup dolls
attached to their front with all kinds of nasties.
[ Both laugh ]
And I never know -- I'm like, "Thank you?"
-[ Laughs ]
I think "thank you" is probably the most -- that's the best --
-Yeah, thanks with a question mark.
-It's the safest answer to anything
that could be taken as praise. So lovely to meet you.
Congratulations on the well-deserved Emmy,
and hopefully, we will see you here soon.
-Can I just tell you something, Seth, quickly?
-Please. -Can I tell you that I was --
when I was on Broadway in 2008 with "Spamalot,"
I discovered you for the first time,
and I might have had just a gentle crush on you ever since,
so I'm very pleased to meet you, my friend.
-Well, that is lovely to hear.
And let me just say, you were wonderful in "Spamalot."
-Thanks so much! -This is really --
And we're gonna leave -- Make sure we don't cut
any of this flirty stuff at the end.
[ Laughter ] Keep all this flirty stuff.
New episodes of "Ted Lasso" are available
Fridays on Apple TV+.