Brett Goldstein Almost Played a Very Different Ted Lasso Character

For example, Brett Goldstein, who played Roy Kent, initially wanted the part of Leslie Higgins, the Director of Communications at AFC Richmond and assistant to Rebecca Welton.

And Goldstein wasn’t the only one seeking the role of Higgins. Nick Mohammed, who went on to play the now West Ham United coach Nate Shelley, also wanted to land the part as Higgins – as did Phil Dunster who eventually ended up as Mancunian Jamie Tartt.

As a writer of the show, you might think that Goldstein would have had a shoe-in when it came to getting the part he wanted. And that may well have been the case had he stuck with his original plan.

But the British-born actor had grown tired of playing nice guys and wanted to try something different.

So, he instead went for the role of Roy Kent, who is based on the former Manchester United and the Republic of Ireland midfielder famed for his short temper and aggressive nature on and off the pitch.

Goldstein says he was inspired to play Roy Kent while the team were writing episode 5 of the show. During the scene in which Roy sneaks up on Keeley Jones (played by Juno Temple), the writer and actor says he realised he really understood the character of Roy and knew he could bring the midfielder to life on screen.

But he also knew that he wasn’t in the running for the part. So, he recorded himself playing the role and sent the tape to those charged with casting the show.

And the story goes that they were so impressed with what they saw that they knew they had their man.

Which, of course, left the role of Leslie Higgins still up for grabs. That role eventually went to Jeremy Swift – who was nominated for a 2021 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

So, it seems that, despite the slightly wonky path that got them to the final cast, the production team behind Ted Lasso certainly got their casting right in the end.