Brett Goldstein was not just an actor on “Ted Lasso.” He was a writer as well. In fact, that was the first thing he was hired to do for the show. He and “Ted Lasso” co-creator Bill Lawrence had worked together on a pilot previously that didn’t go anywhere, but he was on the radar — and was British — so he came out to Los Angeles to write on the show. While appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” back in 2021, Goldstein recounted how strange path on “Ted Lasso” from behind the camera to in front of it:
“I was a writer, and we were like five episodes into writing it, and I started to think, ‘I think I’m Roy.’ But I also thought, ‘No one around this table writing thinks I’m Roy, because I’m sort spoken, and I love The Muppets. No one is thinking this.’ And also, I didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, so when we finished the writers’ room, I filmed five scenes as Roy, and I e-mailed it to them, and I said, ‘Thanks for having me. If this is awkward or this is s***, pretend you never got this e-mail, and I promise I will never ask you about it. But if you like it, I think Roy Kent is in me, growling.'”
Because of that unsolicited audition tape, Brett Goldstein has won two Emmys for his performance as Roy Kent and is nominated for the third time, which he could very likely win again if I know the Emmys. That partnership with Bill Lawrence hasn’t wavered either, as the two co-created the really wonderful show “Shrinking” together as well. He stays behind the camera for that one, though we can hope that maybe Goldstein makes an appearance in season 2.