Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein Isn't Sure Who Came Up With Roy's Iconic Growl
"Ted Lasso" is full of characters with a capital C, and the uplifting, mustache-rocking titular coach (Jason Sudeikis) is far from the only unique personality in the show's menagerie of soccer madness. From prima donna superstar Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) to the increasingly villainous kitman-turned-West Ham United coach Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed), there's a quirky character lurking behind every corner, each with their own peculiar mannerisms, each quietly struggling with their own issues behind the scenes.
Though most "Ted Lasso" characters are instantly recognizable, only one of them can make his presence known just by clearing his throat ever so slightly. Brett Goldstein's eternally gruff Roy Kent's whispery, guttural growl is one of the most instantly recognizable voices out there, and the character's penchant for taking his aggression up to 11 from his usual barely vocal mode only adds to the impact. Roy's unique voice sounds so iconic that it's easy to imagine Goldstein painstakingly crafting it with vocal coaches, but as it turns out, the "Ted Lasso" star barely remembers how the "Roy Kent voice" came to be.
Goldstein isn't sure whether he or the writers came up with the voice
The interest in Roy Kent and other "Ted Lasso" characters is at an all-time high ahead of Season 3, and in a joint Entertainment Weekly interview with co-star Hannah Wadingham (who plays AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton), Goldstein shared some insight on how he came up with Roy's growl ... or he possibly would have, if it wasn't for the fact that even he has no clear idea how the voice came to be.
"It's a real gift," Goldstein joked about the growl, before getting serious and admitting that he has no idea whether the scriptwriters came up with the voice, or if it was his own personal touch. "I honestly don't know the answer to that growling question because I would hate to take any credit away from any of the writers. I feel like it started as a thing and then became a thing in the scripts but I could be wrong."
It's worth noting that Wadingham followed this comment by stating that Goldstein is merely being modest. It's also worth noting that Goldstein is one of the show's writers, so he could have been involved in creating the growl in either of his capacities. Still, as far as Goldstein is concerned, the origin of the Roy Kent voice is officially undecided.