When he was first introduced in season one, sports journalist Trent Crimm was one of the central antagonists in Ted Lasso – but a lot has changed since then.
The slippery reporter for The Independent, played by James Lance, found himself fired from his day job in the second season finale for revealing his source for a damaging story about Ted, which has seen him welcomed at AFC Richmond this season to write a behind-the-scenes book about the club’s Lasso era.
Before, he was a more obviously untrustworthy figure, but he’s now become an endearing presence at the club, to the point he has taken on the role of reassuring mentor in one of this season’s most heartfelt (and most talked about) storylines, as footballer Colin (Billy Harris) attempts to hide his sexuality from his teammates. Trent is the first to find out – and it’s here we discover that the reporter has also been hiding his true self from others on the pitch.
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For Lance, the opportunity to play a part in such an important storyline was overwhelming, as he explained to Zavvi: “It’s a huge honor to be part of such an essential storyline, it really is. I mean, if it helps support anybody who is in the closet, who would like to be out of the closet, I really can’t think of anything more worthwhile to be a part of.
“It’s wonderful, the idea that this comedy has a healing element to it is stunning to me, and I’m over the moon to be a part of that.”
Co-creator and star Jason Sudeikis has long maintained that Ted Lasso is largely about “bad fathers”, following characters whose lives have been shaped by formative traumas that have lingered into adulthood. Lance argues that this is what defined the characterisation of Trent Crimm in previous seasons, and that we’ve now pealed back the façade to uncover the real man underneath.
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He explained: “I had this backstory for him, that he wasn’t what his father wanted him to be; I felt like his dad was a man’s man and Trent couldn’t have been that, so he took himself off to the library to develop his intellect, but became fierce with it. This intellect was a defence mechanism that became effective to the point he became a bully himself.
“I had this idea that in that first scene when he says to Ted that he was going to humiliate him, asking “is this a f***ing joke?” about an American coach coming over, that this was something his dad used to say to him a lot. So when you consider Trent’s sexuality, I felt like when he came out, his dad responded in that same way, which makes it really painful – hurt people hurt people, as we all know.
“This season is about him going on this grand journey to stop being like that, and I think that’s brilliant.”
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The third season has also seen Lance’s character elevated to a central cast member, after being a recurring player in the first two. So, after spending more time with Trent, has he had any more emotional breakthroughs with him?
“I think we’re finally seeing the real person. What we were introduced to in season one, in particular, was a persona that he constructed in order to create a bit of a name for himself; he was stuck being that hard nosed journalist, but that’s not who he is.
“He’s a bully to begin with, but Trent Crimm is not the name of a bully! He’s this kind man at heart, and I’ve enjoyed seeing who’s really inside there, which is all a result of the Lasso effect and being encouraged to show his vulnerabilities.
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“Trent was definitely hiding before, but now he’s opened up in lots of ways: being brought into the inner sanctum of the club has had a much more profound effect on him than he thought he would.
“I feel like he just felt he was going to be detached as he wrote his book on the team, but he’s developing close relationships with them, which has a lovely effect on him – especially because I don’t think he was welcomed on the school team growing up!”
A character who has pre-dated the other key figures within Richmond’s “inner sanctum” is Leslie Higgins, played by Jeremy Swift, the team’s lovable Director of Communications. The actor believes he is the show’s most “stable” character, although this tends to be overshadowed by the more charmingly whimsical aspects of his personality.
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He explained to Zavvi: “Higgins often instigates positive things for the team, such as bringing in Zava as a new signing, or the psychologist Dr Sharon, things which have knock-on effects throughout the series. Colin talked about her in episode 6, which is something like 18 episodes after she was first introduced – it shows that he always does things that have an amazing impact on the team, even if those things aren’t referenced back directly to him.”
For Swift, the most fun things to explore with the character are the scenes outside of the workplace, which this season included him putting his double bass skills to good use again.
“I got a text from Brendan (Hunt, co-creator/star) at the beginning of the year asking if I could lead a band. I was confused, but when he sent me the song, I knew I could do it – I invented the bass riff you can hear at the end of that number too.
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“It all came from the writers trusting that I could do it, and crazily enough, I could. Admittedly, it took two months’ work to get it ready, but it was a lot of fun!”
The actor does see some inner darkness to the character though, despite any number of amusing jazz interludes. Referring back to a plot point briefly referenced in the second season, Swift argues that whilst his father isn’t a monster like many of the other characters’ dads, there will still much negativity in his formative years that has shaped him.
“I don’t think his dad was terrible, just troubled and curmudgeonly, something which hasn’t fully manifested itself into Higgins’ life yet. It has been in my head whilst making the third season, as I do think being around a father figure like that has made him who he is.
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“I also try to approach him as a parent, he has five boys, which is a big responsibility that I think also shapes him – when you’re a father to that many kids, you’ve got a lot of people to worry about, which I think is the off screen story bubbling up inside him at all times. I do love that people think he’s a positive and warm character, but there is an awkwardness to him whenever he’s having any social interaction that isn’t about the game!”
Ted Lasso was initially pitched as a three season arc, with many of the cast hoping that there will still be more to come once this third outing reaches its end later this month. Swift is one of them, although he hasn’t been preparing to say goodbye to his character even if this is the end.
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“I’m still enjoying seeing this season and witnessing these characters get fleshed out further, going deeper into who they are. There’s a lot of depth embedded in the show, where even the raising of an eyebrow from one character could be read differently if you went back to watch it much later.
“We watched the first two episodes of this season in LA with an audience of over a thousand, and just hearing their reactions to gestures from the characters because of how attuned to them they are was a joy, these were the crazy fans for the show who know everybody inside out. So to answer your question; yes, I’d miss everybody if it was the end, but I don’t know what comes next – and besides, I can always revisit Higgins just by watching the series again!”
Ted Lasso airs every Wednesday on AppleTV+
Read our interview with star Nick Mohammed.
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