How new ‘Ted Lasso’ star Grant Feely ‘broke the ice’ with Jason Sudeikis
Their relationship got off on the right foot.
Jason Sudeikis and his on-screen son, Grant Feely, had a kismet moment when they met for the first time at a chemistry read ahead of “Ted Lasso” Season 4.
“While I was waiting outside, [Sudeikis] came out and met me – and we were wearing the exact same pair of shoes,” Feely, who plays Ted’s son Henry in the new season, exclusively told Page Six.
The 14-year-old actor noted they were both in Nike Blue Vomeros and the coincidence “broke the ice.”
Sudeikis was “great to work with” Feely told us, noting that he “wears so many hats on set. He’s a writer, he’s an executive producer, he does a lot.”
The former “SNL” star kept his co-stars on their toes, according to Feely, and would sometimes “completely rewrite our entire scene.”
“So, I would have to relearn it. And, we do a bunch of improv on the show,” he explained.
Returning after a three-year hiatus, the Apple TV comedy follows goofy American football coach Ted Lasso (Sudeikis) as he became the unlikely coach of an English men’s soccer team. Season 4 follows Ted as he coaches a women’s team.
The first three seasons, which aired 2020-2023 were a phenomenon, earning 61 Emmy nominations and 13 wins.
Henry was played by Gus Turner in the first three seasons – mostly shown on via FaceTime on Ted’s phone as Ted was parenting long-distance from England while Henry was in America. In Season 4, Henry has an expanded role.
Feely, who was also in “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” confirmed to Page Six that the role was recast because Season 4 required Henry to have soccer skills.
“I had to brush up … I had to get my brothers to teach me,” Feely said, noting that his siblings are three years older.
He told Page Six, “People think that my brothers would do it for free out of a favor – but I had to pay them to teach me soccer! I had paid them five percent of my first episode.”
The actor noted that his family were all massive “Ted Lasso” fans before he got the role, but the person who surprised him the most was Brett Goldstein.
“His character, Roy Kent, is very gruff. He curses a lot, he’s loud…but, Brett is the complete opposite. He’s kind of quiet. He’s very nice to be around. He’s nothing like you would expect,” the young actor told us.
Meanwhile, Brendan Hunt — who plays Coach Beard — took new cast members like Feely “under his wing” and introduced them to Arsenal and soccer in the UK.
Feely recalled that when the cast went to Arsenal games together, Hunt “would sit next to me at games and walk me through it … he’d teach me about the rules and everything. That was great.”
“Ted Lasso” Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV, with new episodes out Wednesdays.
