Ted Lasso's Brendan Hunt Said A Two Aces Scene Was The Hardest To Film
If there's one person more stoic and intensely silent on "Ted Lasso" than Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), it's Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), the assistant coach of AFC Richmond. The other import from across the pond that joined Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) on his brave mission to whip the Greyhounds into shape, Beard has also operated as the moral compass to our titular team manager, swapping words in place of a stone-faced look most of the time. Even so, in the Emmy-winning show where football is life, there are understandably some scenes that demand Beard's brutal stone-like stares but even a talent of his stature struggles to deliver.
What do you expect? In a show concocted from Goldstein glares, a total misunderstanding of a country's national sport, and Ted Lasso's proverbs usually ending in mass rib-ticklings, delivering deadpan reactions is an endurance sport all on its own. However, some fans have looked to the VAR with Hunt's past performance in episodes and noticed one stand-out scene that might have caught the legendary buckle next to his on-screen boss when he shouldn't have. We can't blame him. Smiles are bound to appear at Sudeikis' earnest delivery of the term 'pee-pee fingers.'
Hunt admits to breaking during Ted's classic temper tantrum
During an AMA on Reddit, a "Ted Lasso" fan provided some analysis that may have impressed even Trent Crimm from The Independent. The scene in question — in Season 1, Episode 6 "Two Aces" — involved Ted threatening to throw one of his son's classic temper tantrums to explain why the players were all uneasy. Writing to Brendan Hunt, u/f0ldinthecheese asked, "Are you on the verge of breaking just before saying 'pee pee fingers'? I see a ghost of a smile, and I live for people breaking character!" As with all AMAs, a pearl was revealed by Hunt, who confessed to the crime.
"Well spotted! This was the hardest scene to do in the entire season. We were all f***ing dying the entire time," recalled Hunt. However, hindsight is a heck of a thing — Hunt posited that it could have been due to the scene's unique union of cast members involved that brought the giggles. He added, "Maybe because it was the first time that it was just those five dudes in one room? Or maybe we're just shamefully unprofessional? BOTH!?!!" For the most part, though, Hunt is a hero with his role of Beard, who only started to speak up a bit more in Season 2 when it really mattered. Every word seems to have been carefully chosen, with Hunt seemingly making a conscious effort to keep Beard the solid and silent type we are slightly confused by.
Hunt makes an effort to keep Beard speaking at an absolute minimum
Brendan Hunt admitted to that fact in the Reddit AMA as well. U/chelseanyc200 asked him, "Do you and the other writers work hard to pare back Beard's lines to the very bare minimum? In [Season 1, Episode 5,] he spoke in practically monosyllables [till] near the end." Thankfully, we got more than a shrug or a glance from Hunt as to how this came about. Hunt noted he himself makes sure his character vocally contributes as minimally as possible.
"Yes, and frankly I'm often leading the charge there," Hunt said. "I am quick to cut any unnecessary Beard lines/words/syllables." Beard's initial appearance sparked the decision when he appeared alongside Ted during the NBC Sports promos in 2013. Even during their debut, the assistant coach kept dialogue to a minimum thanks to the co-creator of the characters, Joe Kelly, who brought them to life alongside Jason Sudeikis and Hunt. Lasso's right-hand mind described the decision as a "path to joy with Beard was to talk as little as possible. He was spot on, and he still is." Don't ever change Beard.