'Ted Lasso' 's Hannah Waddingham Shares Her Hopes for the Future of Rebecca and Ted's Relationship   

The Emmy nominee also weighs in on the hit Apple TV+ show's future

Apple TV+ Ted Lasso Emmy Awards Party Hannah Waddingham and Jason Sudeikis
Photo: Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock

Even as they celebrate receiving a whopping 20 Emmy nominations for season 2, the cast of Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso is looking ahead to the upcoming season of the series, which may wind up its last.

At a special screening and tailgate party on Monday in honor of the upcoming awards ceremony, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nominee Hannah Waddingham shared with PEOPLE how she envisions her character, Rebecca Welton, and Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) wrapping up their relationship — and if it could ever turn romantic.

"It's social conditioning says a lead woman and the lead man are going to end up together," Waddingham said. "Far deeper is the beauty of sometimes a platonic relationship, where you will be the last one at the person's bedside, even if you haven't slept with them."

"There may be more longevity in that," she added.

Waddingham, 47, and Sudeikis, 46, star in the beloved series about American football coach Ted after he signed on to coach fictional soccer team AFC Richmond in the Premier League despite never having coached soccer before.

While Ted and Rebecca began as foils, they have developed a deep admiration for one another. And while the show has hinted at one day putting them together, their relationship has yet to turn romantic.

Hannah Waddingham and Jason Sudeikis in Ted Lasso
Apple TV+

"I think what we see is a real, beautiful, platonic relationship where there is intimacy," Phil Dunster, who plays Jamie Tartt, said at the event of Rebecca and Ted's connection. "I think it's a really joyous thing."

"I love seeing to like, good-looking, attractive, smart people on a TV show and that the core of why they are on screen together is because they're both smart and interesting people — not that they have to be sort of sexualized or romanticized," Dunster continued. "There's enough of that. We've got that elsewhere on the show. And so we put the two of them. They keep it PG and I love that."

To Juno Temple, who plays Keeley Jones, it's the friendship between Rebecca and Keeley that's truly endgame.

"It's a no-brainer," said Temple, who is also nominated for supporting actor in a comedy series. "It's one of the most important things in the show for me. Getting to show a true, genuine female friendship that's not about being competitive, not about judging, but just genuinely loving and supporting on a show that people have really enjoyed watching is one of the things I will be proud of so for the rest of my life. And she's kind of the greatest woman in the world."

Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple and Ellie Taylor in “Ted Lasso” season two, now streaming on Apple TV+
Apple TV+

Emmy-winning star and writer Brett Goldstein, a.k.a. Roy Kent, told the Sunday Times in the U.K. that the series is expected to conclude after its upcoming third season. "We are writing it like that," said Goldstein, 41. "It was planned as three [seasons]."

As Waddingham prepares to possibly say goodbye to Rebecca, she said it's a role she will miss dearly.

"I'm happy to pay her until she ends up in a care home," she said. "I am so invested in Rebecca's world, that I struggle to think that I will not see her and feel her coursing through my bloodstream anymore. I genuinely get quite emotional about it. There's nothing about the show that I won't miss."

Ted Lasso is streaming on Apple TV+. The 74th Emmy Awards will air live on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC.

Related Articles