Brett Goldstein Gives a Message for 'Ted Lasso' Fans Waiting for Season 4 (Exclusive)

Certainly smells like potential.

While it's been reported that Ted Lasso might be coming back, a fourth season of the hit Apple TV+ series has not been officially confirmed. However, speaking exclusively to Parade about possibly revisiting his character, Roy Kent, Brett Goldstein said, "Potentially I'm potentially excited about anything. Potentially."

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Asked if he had a message for fans waiting for a fourth season, the Emmy winner laughed, "Potentially get excited."

These days, fans can catch Goldstein in another beloved Apple TV+ comedy, Shrinking. The actor, who is one of the co-creators, writers and executive producers of the critically acclaimed series, is guest starring this season, playing Louis, the drunk driver who killed Jimmy's wife, Tia.

The role was admittedly "scary" for Goldstein, who had never played a character like Louis before, but it ended up being "a good challenge." Comparing his experience in front of the camera on Shrinking to Ted Lasso, Goldstein pointed out, "I'm much funnier in Ted Lasso," adding with a laugh, "There was less standing in a corner feeling sad before a take on Ted Lasso."

Continue reading for more from Parade's exclusive interview with Brett Goldstein about his role in Season 2 of Shrinking. New episodes will be released every Wednesday through Dec. 25 on Apple TV+.

Related: Everything We Know About Season 3 of Shrinking

Why was this the season to join Shrinking and why this character?
It wasn't my idea to join. It was, in fact, Jason Segel's idea. I was happy to just write on it. I was very proud of the show, and the cast [is] amazing. I thought maybe one day I'd do a cameo where I walk past Harrison Ford just to say I did it. But like there was no plan. And then we had this character. Jason called me and [co-creator] Bill Lawrence into his trailer. And he was like, "Why isn't Brett doing this? Brett should be doing this character." And we were like, "Huh?" And then we thought about it for 24 hours. And then Bill was like, "Do you want to do it?" And I was like, "Hm, yeah. All right." And then we did it. And here we are.

Jason told me that it was clear that this part should be for you. I'm curious, if you ever thought about joining the show, did you think it would be in a role like this, or as one of Jimmy's patients?
I thought it would be fun! [Laughs.]] I thought it'd be a funny, fun character, and not a very vulnerable, open wound of a character. But here we are.

Related: Jason Segel Talks His Dream Role and What He's Learned from Harrison Ford (Exclusive)

Did you help write this character?
Yes, we'd written most of it before we cast it. So I knew, I knew what it was, and I put a lot of research into it already as a writer, I suppose. Part of the idea had come from, one of my biggest fears is what happens to him. And I read up a lot of sort of people who'd been through that, and then writing about their lives and their experience. There's a This American Life episode with a guy who had run over someone who had just veered in, just come into the road. [It's] absolutely not his fault, but the girl had died. It affected his entire world forever. He's forever sort of connected to this thing, and it's also heartbreaking, and it's such a difficult thing. I'm interested in stories without judgment, where there are many sides to every story sort of thing. And I think it was [an] interesting thing to put all these characters through having to deal with. Can you forgive? It's easy to say you can forgive someone, but can you forgive the man who killed your wife? Not so easy. Not so f–king easy.

Do you find it easier or more difficult to bring a character to life when you’ve written it yourself, compared to another character created by somebody else?
Yeah, I think it's easier when you've done it. I weirdly think acting and writing aren't that different. They obviously are different, but it's still, creatively, it's the same part of yourself, but just in a different way. You're still asking the same questions. You're still like, "What do they want? What's in their way? Why are they doing this? How do they feel?" [It's] kind of the same thing. So when you're writing it, you've almost acted it in your head. So I think it does. You've done the research before you get to act it, whereas when you're acting something else, you're starting from scratch and having to do the research on your own. Makes sense?

Yeah. It makes sense!
Good. [Laughs.] I'm confusing myself. [Laughs.]

Jason spoke about performers having parts of themselves that they haven’t had a chance to show. Do you feel like you got a chance to show a different part of yourself with this role on Shrinking?  
Yeah. I've never played a character like this, and it was certainly scary. Because he's such a vulnerable, sad character; it wasn't the most fun to play. But I think it was a good challenge. And all the other actors, the scene in Episode 6 with me and Lukita [Maxwell] and Michael [Urie] was a very special thing to do. That was a lovely day at work.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Next, Is There Going to Be a Season 4 of 'Ted Lasso'? Here's What We Know!