Brett Goldstein is a writer, a producer, a director, and an Award winning actor who stars as "Roy Kent" in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso. He is also the series' executive story editor and the main regular actor.
History[]
He was born on 17 July 1980 in the Sutton suburb of London, to a British Jewish family. He was educated at Sevenoaks School, one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. After secondary school he attended the University of Warwick, where he graduated with a degree in Film Studies.
A multi-talented individual, he's worked both sides of the camera in his career. Though he's an actor on Ted Lasso, in other, mainly British productions, he's been a writer, producer, director and member of the script and continuity department.
Career and Awards[]
Like co-star Jason Sudekis, a significant portion of his writing output has been for sketch comedy, but he's also written a few films. A sometimes collaborator with Catherine Tate, he was particularly noted for his film, SuperBob, in which he also played the titular role opposite Tate.
In 2016, he won the BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Brendan in the comedy film Adult Life Skills, starring Jodie Whittaker as the lead character. Two years later, he again appeared alongside Whittaker in the BBC's long-running science fiction drama Doctor Who, in an episode called "The Tsuranga Conundrum" (2018) as Astos. Later that year, in July 2018, he began his career as a podcaster with Films to Be Buried With, a comedy podcast featuring guests talking about films that have been important in their lives. Goldstein has also written and performed four solo stand-up shows.
In 2022, he signed a multi-year overall deal with Warner Bros. Television. Later that year, Goldstein appeared as Hercules in the mid-credits scene of Thor: Love and Thunder and is expected to play the character in future Marvel Cinematic Universe properties.
Ted Lasso Role[]
Originally, Brett was offered the role of Leslie Higgins. As the story editor overseeing the writing of all 10 episodes of the show’s first season, he realized that he really understood the character and felt such a kinship with the stoic tough guy.
When he couldn’t get that feeling out of his mind, he lobbied to play Roy Kent, taking it upon himself to create an audition tape hoping to land the role. But it wasn’t until after things had wrapped in the writing room that he finally made his move, emailing Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis, and the rest of the Ted Lasso team his tape. “I am Roy Kent,”
The tapes, which included the 'If I don't hear silence I'm gonna start punching dicks' scene from the pilot, ended up scoring him the role.
He later won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series two years in a row, in 2021 and 2022, for his work on the show. In both awards, he cursed a lot even though already warned not to curse.
White House Visit[]
The cast of Ted Lasso along with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden
When the Ted Lasso cast got invited to visit the White House, he and co-stars Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Toheeb Jimoh, and Brendan Hunt made an appearance during a press briefing, where Sudeikis spoke about mental health and co-star James Lance made a fun cameo as fictional Independent reporter Trent Crimm.
They spoke briefly on the importance of fighting the stigma that’s often associated with seeking help for mental health problems — a theme of the show. Jason Sudeikis encouraged everyone to make sure to check in regularly with family, friends and neighbors who may be struggling and ask how they’re doing.
After the briefing, Sudeikis and his castmates met behind closed doors with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, according to the White House. The White House on Monday touted Biden’s designation of nearly $500 million to increase capacity for the national suicide hotline and to help connect local callers with local responders. In 2020, Congress approved transitioning the 10-digit suicide hotline to three simple numbers — 988.
New Show and Personal Life[]
Brett Goldstein’s series Shrinking, which he co-created alongside Jason Segel and Bill Lawrence, was renewed for a second season at Apple TV+.
He went on to explain that, though he originally wasn’t going to talk about it publicly, his father has Parkinson’s disease, like Harrison Ford’s character in Shrinking. But after Lawrence accidentally shared that with the press, Goldstein had an amusing conversation with his father about it. He recalled his father saying, “Oh, I’m not ashamed. It’s true. It’s who I am,” but then added, “And if you’re telling the world I’m based on Harrison Ford, fucking say it to everyone!”
External link[]
- Brett Goldstein at IMDb