Ted Lasso Star James Lance Has a Perfect Idea of Trent Crimm's Backstory
And of course, it is all about Crimm's daddy issues.
Trent Crimm (James Lance) initially appears as an unsympathetic character in Ted Lasso. He's a nosy, bullying journalist from The Independent who enjoys writing demeaning, humiliating articles about his subjects.
However, as expected in a TV series rather than real life, he's quickly influenced by Ted Lasso's inspiring attitude, rediscovers his conscience, and ultimately reveals to Ted the anonymous source of The Independent's scoops. As a result, he loses his job and decides to write a book about AFC Richmond instead.
In a recent interview with The Wrap, James Lance discussed his character's past, which shaped Crimm into the person he was and made possible his change of heart. Crimm wasn't living the life he wanted, nor was he the man he aspired to be. It took meeting Ted for him to realise he was a bad guy. So, what led him to live such a life?
What else could it have been but an overly demanding father? Lance described his conversation with series creator Jason Sudeikis before filming began:
'We had a three-minute conversation in the car park. I said, "Hey, I think the reason he's the way he is, is because he's got this kind of oppressive father."'
Not only did Sudeikis approve the idea, but he also added, 'you know, this whole season, this whole series, this whole show is about bad dads.'
Unsurprisingly, many filmmakers, showrunners, and actors are fond of attributing their characters' flaws to poor parenting. (Although an entire show about bad dads may be somewhat unexpected.) Lance went on to explain that Crimm's intellectual aggression stemmed from feelings of inadequacy and attempts to fit in and meet the demands placed upon him.
Lance summed it up by saying, 'I quite liked the idea that that question "Is this a f—g joke?" is something that Trent grew up with his dad [saying] to him a lot.'
In any case, by the current point in Season 3, Crimm is a changed man. Speaking of the current point, the next episode of Ted Lasso airs on 26 April.
Source: The Wrap.