Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein And Juno Temple Break Down Roy And Keeley's Relationship - Exclusive Interview
"Opposites attract" has been a going thing in fiction for centuries, to the point where you might think we'd all have lost our ability to be surprised and delighted by it — but the romantic entanglement of rough-hewn Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) and bubbly Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) on "Ted Lasso" shows there's still plenty of gas left in the trope's tank. The couple's coming together was one of the highlights of the show's first season, offering fans a ship they could really root for and offering up some of the most poignant scenes in the initial slate of episodes.
Now Season 2 has arrived, and with Roy's career having come to a close due to injury in the Season 1 finale, one has to wonder where he and Keeley go from here. To snag whatever hints we could, we sat down for a chat with Goldstein and Temple to talk about the future of everyone's favorite footballer/influencer pairing.
Whither Roy and Keeley in Ted Lasso Season 2?
Now that Roy and Keeley have kind of moved past the will-they-or-won't-they stage, what can we expect from their relationship in Season 2?
Brett: That was the exciting challenge of writing it and doing it: You're so used to seeing love stories at the beginning, but you don't see after they get together. And so it was, how do we keep that interesting and romantic and funny and sexy and sweet and sad and —
Juno: And real and honest.
Brett: And real.
Juno: And a positive relationship where they learn from each other and they teach each other.
In the first three episodes, it's like we're waiting for some dramatic twist that would lead to some great conflict. Instead, it felt just like this continued growth for the two of them. Was that a goal as you headed into the season?
Brett: I think so. I really, really love Roy and Keeley, and I think we loved doing the Roy and Keeley scenes. We're constantly trying to surprise you, but also I don't want them to end. So we'll see what happens.
In the early going of Season 2, we see Keeley helping Roy along the next step of his journey. Obviously, you can't get in too many spoilers, but what can we expect to see about Keeley's individual journey this season? What can we expect to learn about her?
Juno: Just be excited. Just be excited because she's learning to fly.
Is that on a professional level or a personal level, would you say?
Juno: Both.
Brett: She's getting a pilot's license.
Juno: She's getting wings: Iridescent, opal glitter ones.
How fans felt about Roy and Keeley on Ted Lasso
Has there been a fan reaction to either your specific characters or to that relationship that has surprised you as Season 1 progressed?
Juno: Brett sent me a really amazing article that was about the beat at the end of Season 1, the scene between the two of us, which was a really special scene to shoot, actually, and one that, even though I'm a part of it, I was actually really moved by it when I watched it, which is quite rare. And there was an article, it was really insightful and beautiful article, about relationships and about the male and female dynamics in a relationship, and about letting people in and the vulnerability of it. I was so blown away that was about a scene that, when you think about it, you need to film that together. I remember when we showed it, it was a moment that was really intimate and we cared a lot about that beat because it's a big moment for Roy.
I mean, talk about your life being ripped out of your chest in that moment. And a little creature coming in and being like, "Please let me in," and me being like, "No, but please, until he collapses on her." I was really impressed by this article and felt really proud of being a part of what might have inspired this article because it felt like it was an essay that just was really insightful about relationships. And the fact that scene sort of triggered that thought process, I thought, was really cool.
Brett: Also, on the other end of the spectrum, there's a woman called Dr. M, and she makes these fan videos, re-editing the show and stuff. She made a supercut of all Roy's swearing. It's probably the greatest piece of film I've ever seen.
What worries me is this: This woman makes these excellent videos. They're so brilliant, but she's a doctor. I worry that she's not doing her doctoring because she's so busy making these videos. And we really love these videos, but I'm like, "I hope you're looking after patients," because it worries me how many of these videos are coming out and people might be in hospital waiting for Dr. M. So I hope, as much as we love these videos, please help the people.
Is there a swears-per-line ratio that's required for Roy's lines as you're writing?
Brett: Certainly in my head.
Juno: Characters in scenes with you, we get swear words cut! You never get them cut. You get as many as you want, but if I slip in a f***ing F-bomb, then it's like —
Brett: Yeah, it's like, Roy's got this covered. I think the ratio is 5:1 swears to other words.