Jason Sudeikis says his Ted Lasso alter ego has quietly shaped how he parents his own two children, revealing the specific etiquette lesson he’s borrowed from the eternally optimistic football coach.
“I try to explain to them the power of please and thank you when you really mean it,” Sudeikis told E! News in an exclusive interview, referring to his approach with kids Otis, 12, and Daisy, 9, whom he shares with ex-partner Olivia Wilde.
“Not only do you get to be in interesting places, but I think, more importantly, you get invited back. That feels like a Ted Lasso philosophy that we’ve yet to implement on the show, but you certainly see it a lot.”
The comment builds on remarks Sudeikis has made in the past about how fatherhood has fed directly into his performance as Ted, a divorced dad himself on the show.
He’s previously described taking a “method” approach to understanding the character’s emotional register, telling TODAY that his own experience raising Otis and Daisy meant “I’m not learning about parenting on Wikipedia.”
Earlier this month, Sudeikis brought his son and daughter to the star-studded FIFA World Cup final and its accompanying halftime show in New York, where the pair got to meet Justin Bieber.
Season 4 of Ted Lasso premieres 5 August on Apple TV+, marking the show’s return after what had originally been billed as a series finale following its third season in 2023.
