And Vanity Fair has unexpectedly found its way into Keeley’s life too. In Wednesday’s new episode, the magazine becomes part of a running gag after Temple’s character lands a Vanity Fair profile with the headline “Keeley Jones: Woman on Top.” The bit culminates with a real working-class lad recognizing her from the piece, only to offer his assessment that the magazine was better when Graydon Carter was in charge. Get off our backs, Ted Lasso writing staff!
Below, Temple talks with Vanity Fair about returning to Ted Lasso, her punk rock upbringing, her friendship with Hannah Waddingham, and her relationship with cigarettes. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Vanity Fair: You met your husband while he was your driver during season two of Ted Lasso, right?
Juno Temple: I did. Yeah.
So between meeting your husband, meeting one of your best friends in Hannah Waddingham and becoming much more famous, is it fair to say Ted Lasso changed your life?
Yes, no brainer. Also, I think it’s changed my life from what it’s done for my brain. Jason [Sudeikis] came from Saturday Night Live and that’s very much a part of how he works with Ted Lasso. Last minute changes, things can be one way and then become something different.
And then I think the doors that have opened for me personally with the other female characters that have come into my life since—they’re just absolutely extraordinary. And I know that Ted has been the gateway to a lot of what’s happening in my life right now. I think it’s a show that kind of changed everyone’s life that was on it, actually.
When season three ended, did you think you were saying goodbye to Keeley forever?
I thought it was done at the time. I really got that sense from Jason too. I felt like that chapter was signed, sealed, delivered and that the book had been closed.
I didn’t want to push Jason about it. I didn’t ever want it to feel like it was coming back because it was a hit, and the idea of that feels like it goes against the show entirely.
And the fact that it’s coming back with a new trajectory—it’s the same people, it’s the same heart to it—but that it’s exploring a different selection of lives and a different version of football and the challenges that come along with women’s football was something that felt not just like timely in a good way, but actually like really good for the show.
I’ve always thought you had incredible comedic timing, but you’ve said you don’t necessarily think of yourself that way. Do you still feel like you don’t have a command of your comedic timing?
I still don’t. But I also think that there’s an element of freedom in that for me. Like, if I’m trying to wrap my head around comic timing I feel like I’ll fuck everything up. And I love that Jason knows that about me because it means that he doesn’t sort of speak that language with me. I initially genuinely did think he’d texted the wrong actress about the part.
I do think that there is also an element of him hiring me because I’m not a stand-up comedian or an actual comedic actress. I think I’m quite feral, actually. And I think that I’ve learned a lot in doing Ted Lasso about comedy, but I still feel like I’m an observer taking in the information. And if I’m honest, most of the time I’m funny because I’m not entirely sure it’s a joke.
