Brett Goldstein is a 42-year-old “overnight sensation.” Not really – he had been working steadily and toiling in British television and the comedy scene for decades before his world was flipped upside down with Ted Lasso. Goldstein was originally hired as one of the writers for the show, then he auditioned for Roy Kent and that was that. What’s great is that Goldstein isn’t whining about how successful he is now or anything like that – he’s used his newfound fame to strike while the iron is hot. He co-created Shrinking (also on AppleTV), he’s writing other projects and scripts and he’s doing a huge comedy show in Seattle. Goldstein covers the latest issue of Variety and he talks a lot about his life, all of his projects and how he’s not really Roy Kent (he is). Some highlights:

On his ‘sex symbol’ status: “How do I feel about becoming a sex symbol? I don’t know. You can say, ‘He blushes, looks confused, his head explodes.’”

The only hairy man in LA: “Yeah, [people like] the grumpy guy. Maybe it’s hairy men. I seem to be the only person in L.A. in the last 15 years who has body hair. Maybe that’s a thing. Like, ‘Whoa, what’s this? This is new!’”

He loves Roy Kent’s rage: “I really love playing Roy Kent. People always say, ‘You don’t seem angry in real life.’ And I’m always like, ‘But I’m f–king angry.’ And maybe there is a part of me that gets to process it through Roy.”

His early drama auditions: For years he pursued dramatic gigs, but “all I would ever get audition offers for was terrorists. I guess they see my headshot and go, ‘Well, he looks like a terrorist!’”

He’s training for a marathon right now: “I always feel like I’m making up for lost time that I didn’t enjoy as a youth. Because I was a very miserable kid. I was so miserable as a young person that now I enjoy things more. ‘Oh yeah, we should do fun stuff!’ I was a 6-year-old who sighed a lot. I was born this way. I had a dark way.”

He’s obsessed with Twin Peaks: “Here’s a secret about me that I don’t that I’ve told anyone. Here you go, here’s the scoop: People ask, ‘What do you do to relax?’ What always makes me happy is looking up ‘Twin Peaks’ fan theories. I love reading about ‘Twin Peaks.’ I love thinking about ‘Twin Peaks.’ It exists in my head now and forever.” (His thoughts on the recent revival? “Magnificent. Five stars. Incredible. How did it happen?”)

He wants more Ted Lasso: “I really do get that it’s a hard decision. Because it’s this wonderful thing, and these three seasons feel really perfect. Do you gamble? Do you leave the table? Or do you keep going because you have more?” What Goldstein does object to is the idea that “Ted Lasso” should end before it turns to sh-t. “I’m like, ‘No, it wouldn’t get sh-t. Because it’s a really good f–king group of people who care about it. Jason’s a f–king genius. No way we’d make something sh-t. Because why would we suddenly be sh-t? Like, ‘oh maybe it would go downhill.’ Why? Have we suddenly all gotten sh-t at our jobs?”

[From Variety]

When I found out he does a podcast, I listened to a few episodes only to discover that he doesn’t talk like Roy Kent in real life and he’s also just kind of dorky. I say that in a nice way – he’s a film geek, a comedy geek and very chatty. He’s not the strong silent type in real life. That’s what this interview reminded me of – oh right, he loves reading Twin Peaks fan theories and he’s obsessed with the Muppets.

Brett Goldstein for Variety, photographed by Peggy Sirota. https://t.co/E7Lw9BqfDp pic.twitter.com/6taFChvpYN

— Variety (@Variety) April 11, 2023

“Maybe it’s hairy men. I seem to be the only person in L.A. who has body hair,” says #TedLasso star Brett Goldstein. https://t.co/E7Lw9BqNsX pic.twitter.com/FItMYvq1fd

— Variety (@Variety) April 11, 2023

Photos courtesy of Variety, Avalon Red.