'Ted Lasso' star was 'worried' about plot twist that changes character's relationships
As audiences watch the second season of Ted Lasso unfold, there is one storyline prominently featured in episode three that Hannah Waddingham, who plays Rebecca Welton, was "worried" about at the outset.
She was speaking about the narrative of Rebecca’s goddaughter, Nora (Kiki May), coming to stay with her while Nora’s mother Flo "Sassy" Collins (Ellie Taylor) is away at a conference.
"I was worried about it at first," Waddingham admitted.
"If you think about where it comes in season two, it's very early on, and me trying to get a handle on where I wanted Rebecca to sit to make her the most honest for the audience to lean into her again, I was thinking, 'Oh, OK, we've got a kid in the mix here.'"
While Waddingham and May had never met before, the Ted Lasso alum said that as soon as the young, new addition to the cast walked onto the set, something went off in Waddingham's head and she hooked into the narrative that Nora is Rebecca’s "little sidekick" or "little best friend," as Waddingham described.
Throughout episode three, we see Nora and Rebecca connect after spending six years apart. There are definitely some growing pains there as the AFC Richmond owner realizes that Nora is a teen now, not a child, and watching Frozen and going to children’s afternoon tea with crowns isn't what she likes to do anymore.
When Nora shadows Rebecca at work, we instantly see her coming into her own, being involved and even taking control of managing some of the club’s affairs and controversies. Nora describes Rebecca as a "boss ass bitch," but Nora is quite the "boss" herself.
"Kiki was so relaxed and it meant that even though I could feel her nerves, she used her nerves, and so I didn't want to add any other element to her," Waddingham explained. "I just thought no, no, no, no, no, let her sit behind that Rebecca desk, and I saw her rise in it."
"It was like we were going, 'Oh, I'm getting used to you,….we can be this, this can be our dynamic,' it was really lovely, and I'm lucky that they chose someone who totally stepped up to the plate and then some."
