Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed says filming season 3 felt 'quite lonely'

Virgin Radio

5 May 2023, 11:36

Ted Lasso actor Nick Mohammed has opened up about how his character's journey has become something of a lonely experience.

There are spoilers ahead if you’re not up to date with Ted Lasso.

The comedian plays kitman-turned-wunderkind Nathan Shelley in the award-winning Apple TV+ footy series. Having started as a loveable character, his story arc makes him the show’s main antagonist when he defects to become West Ham United manager because he feels unappreciated as a coach and as a person by Ted. And not only does he jog on to West Ham, but he infuriates viewers by ripping up the beloved BELIEVE poster before he goes. 

And the actor behind the character has admitted to feeling somewhat isolated. "He's out in the desert at the moment, isn't he?" he told Entertainment Weekly. "Sadly, he has chosen to leave Richmond in the way that he did, and he is absolutely out on a limb, he's a fish out of water.” he said.

"From a practical point of view, some of that stuff was quite lonely to film, because obviously I'm not with the gang.

Mohammed added: "We try to use as much of that feeling of loneliness and abandonment and channel it into Nate, because that is precisely what he's feeling."

Whilst we are seeing some shards of light in Nate as he starts dating Jade (Edyta Budnik) in season 3, the actor explained that we may not get full redemption. "There's a spark of a relationship. Whether he's redeemed is a whole different story," he said. "I don't think it's as black and white as he's definitely redeemed or he's definitely not redeemed. It's a bit more nuanced than that."

Speaking exclusively to virginradio.co.uk from the red carpet at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel last year, the star said of Nate becoming a baddie: “It is fun, but genuinely challenging because I got so used to playing Nate as this subordinate, kind of quite shy guy, so to play him as a slightly sour villain is a bit like ‘woah’. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.”

Ted Lasso is set to come to an end with the conclusion of season three. When he recently joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch, the Nate actor said: “Who knows if this is the end or not? I genuinely don't know.”

Regarding the show coming to an end, Jason Sudeikis, who plays the titular character, told Chris Evans last week: “I can't even speak towards it, because I'm still in the thick of it. We want the story to go out because maybe people, at the end, would be like, ‘Oh you know what, that's it. Thank you. That's all we need’.

However, he also said: “It’s flattering that people want more.”

Read the full interview.