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belmottetower · 2 years

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A recent For Your Consideration interview with Phil Dunster of Ted Lasso.

Not my interview, obviously. A transcript of the audio is below, but first, I wanted to say something about why I’ve shared this on Tumblr this way.

One of Phil's "for your consideration" interviews from this week was posted as audio only, embedded after a blurb in a short article. A lot of the stuff Phil says is really interesting and thoughtful, but while listening to him is fun, this is not great, format wise, for a few reasons. Videos are engaging to watch and usually have fairly accurate auto-captions. Written text is quick and easy to read. Audio only is just about the hardest format to consume, especially when it’s randomly embedded in a web page, not the point of the content, like a podcast.

The point of these specific interviews is to have stuff to share with Emmy voters and showcase his work. His PR people will be collecting them, pulling quotes and the like for when they put him up "for your consideration". So this guy was granted a long exclusive interview and he did not deliver back something they can actually use to help Phil in the awards season.

This is annoying enough, on a work principle. Hardcore fandom people - of which actually there aren't many, on a wider scale, for Ted Lasso, let alone for Jamie - will listen to this, yes, but any quotes from Phil in this won’t be findable or searchable or referencable or easily digestible for the people it’s meant to show Phil off to, voters who will likely be looking at the work of hundreds of actors pre-nomination. They are not going to sit down and listen to 20 minutes of audio-only for this one guy. If they already like him enough to do that, they’re not the target audience, because they’re already “sold” on him. So all in all, it's a pretty useless piece of press considering its intended goal.

But then I asked the guy if he would be adding a transcript or any written element, because I also had concerns about accessibility, for deaf people or people with auditory processing issues. His response was shockingly rude and dismissive, especially for someone with a fairly small site with minimal Twitter followers, so I got pissed off and decided that I would reupload his audio here - he's made it downloadable - and do my own transcript. Because transcripts are not hard to create, there are many free automatic ways to do it, that just need a manual clean up for any robot errors. And now, people who want to get into this content from Phil can read it or listen to it, at least in the fandom, without giving that guy more hits. Petty? Maybe, but sometimes that's satisfying!

I'm not going to link to the original webpage, but Phil shared it the other day, and the name of the site is in the audio conversation, that's all the credit he gets for his extremely poor effort both for Phil and for readers! It’s very disappointing, because the same site did a great written interview with Phil last season — from a different journalist. The guy who did this one is the website’s editor in chief, he admittedly got into Ted Lasso very late, and it seems that he’s poached this Ted Lasso PR beat from the former writer, who provided good coverage last year.

Transcript below the cut.

Interviewer: Thank you again for doing this.

Phil Dunster: Thank you for having me.

Interviewer: Oh, it's my pleasure. As I was telling you, I came to the show a little late, but I'm a huge fan. It's funny to watch the show evolve because, you know, every character I think is different than they started, but yours especially has, I think, one of the more compelling narratives. Because, you know, there really are no villains in the show, but if there was a guy who was harder to like, it might have been you. I mean I'm sure there are people who are like, no, [you were] my favourite immediately, but I mean, when everyone else is largely radiating warmth and we have someone, you know, more at arm's length, there's something to watching the evolution. And it feels so natural, and I'm sure a lot of it's on the page, but how do you get that character from point A to point B? Because I'm sure you have to get really into "Okay this guy's nothing like me, but I have to really find the like, you know, I have to be a dick superstar." Like okay, we know those people, but we're not usually those people.

Phil Dunster: The haircuts, you know, there's just so many of those, how do you keep up with them? That's the hard thing, right.

Yes, I think that he is different from me in many ways. Firstly, his footballing ability. I am nowhere near as good as he is, but yeah I mean… I guess it's, you know, without getting too Inside The Actor Studio, I think it's probably about intention and probably about the cause of [why he's] acting in a certain way. And I think for me, it was about finding the common ground. I imagine it is for most actors, about finding the common ground between them and the character they're trying to play, you know, [finding] experience that I've had that might be similar to what Jamie's had. And whilst I can't say that I've ever been sort of plucked from obscurity and been chosen to be a sort of superstar athlete at that age, there are certain human elements to Jamie's story which I think that a lot of people can relate to in terms of, you know, his…I guess people's struggles with ego and his understanding of fitting into group dynamics and things with family.

And I think that… I think that nothing in the show exists within a vacuum, and I think Jamie is the way he is because of XYZ and we obviously go into that through the seasons - particularly in season 2 - and we see more of it in season 3, as with all characters I think. So as you say, a lot of it is on the page, and they do it so very well… they lay down the background of these people and so you understand why you love them.

There's a line in season 2 when we meet Rebecca's mum and Ted says something like "I love meeting people's parents, it's like an instruction manual for why they're crazy." And I think that... I probably butchered the line, apologies to any super Tedheads out there…and I think that's it. I think that we see the instruction manuals for each of these characters, and Jamie's sort of really is his dad, you know, coming right at you. Particularly in that scene in season 2 when he has… he clashes with him in a way that's… in a way he never has done before in his life.

Interviewer: As an actor I imagine it's got to be fulfilling because, other roles, it's a small scene in a movie and like, sure, I can leave an impression, but any of the work I'm doing is not going to be… I don't want to say appreciated, but an audience member and like, Megan Levy is not going to know what's going on in your character's head, because that's not where the focus is, but with a show - and especially with a show where you know you're one of the main characters and you're able to progress over two now three and hopefully more seasons - you can sort of do the work and then have people see the work and that's gotta feel good, because it's not in a vacuum. It's very much like "I'm taking this character on a journey and I want you guys to notice and feel it and approve or or disapprove or just to feel for my character." It's got to be a different connection?

Phil Dunster: Yeah, yeah and particularly when you see Jamie… Trying to figure out what clothes to wear, you know… that's the thing…it's an actor's exercise anyway. Like, what jacket would he be wearing? What tie would he be wearing? But yeah, I think that is true and I think that there's ridiculous sort of background that actors do for those one lines, because they have to. Because in order to make it believable and lived in, for the audience to see, I think they have to sort of feel like there's lots going on. Jason talks about if you — he was telling me about this character that he had, that he realized somebody had said to him — you make the characters…when their involvement isn't long, you need to make them deep. And so you can have all these little bits that you have that just make the audience, trick the audience into believing that they have their own world going on.

And I think that was a really good nugget of advice, that there's always something going on in this person's life. And I think it is really nice with Jamie, we get to see that, but you know, you only really see these snippets, and there has to be all of the connecting lines in between these dots that we see in the scenes as well. But yes, it is a huge shift for me to be able to do that on a show like this and get to play out the conversations that otherwise I would have to have in my own mind. Effectively, the writers just do a lot of the work for me because I just get to turn up and you know the writing is so good, you could be like "Great, yeah, yeah totally makes sense, great."

Interviewer: “You guys wrote me something good, you guys dressed me in something weird, I'm set. I gotta stand here, look at attractive people and then I get paid all right. We can do this.”

Phil Dunster: That's it, yeah, that's it! But to be fair, they do such a… and particularly with Jamie, he's so different, looks-wise and clothes-wise and like, vibe-wise there, it is, you're right that's it in a nutshell really.

Interviewer: I mean the writing does a really great job of… even though you know Jamie's less involved in the narrative for a bit at times, and then there are other characters who have the same situation, you never get a sense that they're not evolving, you never get a sense that they're not doing something, so when they come back into the forefront, it never feels like, well were they just sort of standing in the corner? I always imagine — my grandfather used to joke that when he left the house, his cat used to think he stood outside the whole time, because it, you know, didn't really understand the concept of going to work or something, so you just stood in the hallway for six to twelve hours. A bad show, if a character's not there for three or four episodes, I feel like you kind of feel that they're just standing off screen, if you didn't know what to do with them. Especially with Jamie, it's, well he was on a different team, that journey is something completely different and we'll hint at it, but you can kind of extrapolate because the writing hints at it and your performance hints at it. It's really interesting, because especially if you have any sports interest, you know what happens when a player you follow goes somewhere else, you keep tabs for a little bit but then inevitably, like, well, in a way "Fuck him he's not there", and then if he comes back "Oh shit, I love him again, it's great."

Phil Dunster: Yeah totally! And again, it's ways of dropping that in that feel organic whilst also moving. Again, it's technically, I think it's a very well written show because those things are buried, so that you don't… you're not, as an audience, you're not like "Oh well, they've mentioned their name again, that's odd." They've managed to do that very well. But yeah, I think that it's woven into the script really well, that those characters are always progressing in some way, shape or form. But yeah, even to me though, it's strange. I don't get to see a lot, being in the team, you don't get to see a lot of the background staff, I don't act with a lot of the background staff, but it's funny, reading the script you always know what's going on behind the scenes, and so you can sort of extrapolate bits from like, bits of conversation within the scenes that we're having, to sort of track, as the character, “What do I know about… what do I know…”

Interviewer: No, it's true, it's like it's one of those things where you want to know enough of what's going on, but you also don't necessarily want to. I don't know that too much is the wrong word, but I mean, I would imagine just when you get the role first off for season 1, like you don't necessarily know where this is gonna go, you're trusting the writing, you know, you're reading the character thinking, okay this is the guy, and maybe they tell you like here's the artwork we're sort of planning, but you know by this point, I'm sure it's developed in a way that's similar in some ways and different in some ways. And it's being open and being lucky enough that the writing is good that you're not like “Oh shit, I have to play this guy now like… I got to find a way to be into this,” you know? I would imagine you're as into it, if not more.

Phil Dunster: 100% and I think what's really good about what they do is they…as an audience member, and also separately as someone who is in it, you feel they make the audience feel really smart, as writers. And I think it's in a really clever way where you go "I didn't know what it looked like, but I knew something like that was going to happen, and I feel really smart for having expected that, because it's been… everything's been leading us to this moment." You know? Be it the, I don't know, be it sort of big moments of when they get promoted again or even when they get relegated, and the moments that we see with Keeley and Roy, the comings and goings that they have. We feel like it's perfectly structured for this to happen, and yet we're really pleasantly surprised by it. And the same goes for the evolution of Jamie. I mean, I speak for myself, but when you get the scripts through, you go "Ah that's really smart and it totally makes sense that this is going this way" or actually, sometimes you're like "I don't know, I don't quite see what this… where this is leading to", but because time and time again before it's been like, “Oh yeah, that's been resolved really nicely, you feel like, you know you feel safe with it? So sometimes you just gotta sit back and relax, you know?

Interviewer: Because you're balancing actor instincts, you're balancing just interest in the show like, you know, “I like it, I want it to keep going, I enjoy money, I enjoy being able to buy things, so let's not fuck this up,” but also, you know, you want to do right by your character. And I'm sure as you're reading it you're like “Okay this is great,” but yeah, you could say like "Oh this character is going in this direction, well, how is that going to influence things down the line?" Because you have an investment in this and you, like you said, you trust that they haven't really done anything wrong yet, so if I'm puzzled by this or this isn't what I would do, I have a weird feeling — give it a second and see what happens. Because also, even if that's not intellectually what you would do, it might be, you know, as an actor, just an interesting new exercise and suddenly you're like “Oh well, this is different than I was planning on doing, and cool, now I'm just… I'm in a different, you know, thought process. I'm in my head a little differently and the performance is now different and suddenly I've added to this,” and that's fulfilling in a different way.

Phil Dunster: Yeah, they're incredibly… Once they know exactly where it's going, they are incredibly collaborative as well. There's always the sort of, you know, they're always sort of throwing over to you for your little, like eight bar jazz solo, and then you're straight back into it. And it feels like they trust you to just, you know, have those… that little bit of time, of freedom, but yeah, as you say, it's… I mean, predominantly my thought process whenever I'm working on any job is trying not to fuck up so much that I get kicked off, but you know it's A-Listers, you know, anything can happen.

Interviewer: I think you're in a safe spot now, which, you know, is not a small deal. I mean, working actors, there's something about like “Okay, I've reached a level where I'm pretty sure I can continue to work.” Like, that's a big deal, like what percentage of actors even reached that point? Let alone the next level, the next level, the next level, you know? You're sitting there, and I'm sure Jason looks at people and is like "Wow, what a huge movie star," but you look at him and go “What a massive star.” Like, how do you reach that summit and the idea of just like, as you get higher and higher, there's less and less people doing it. There's something to like taking a minute and you know, whether it's Emmy attention, whether it's awards, whether it's critical acclaim, just people, you know, whatever the thing is that makes you feel like "I did a good job," you know? Knowing that it's there, and then when this is over, there'll be another thing like, “I'm not gonna have to worry about waiting tables,” there's something there like… “I've made it,” such a cliched word, but “I've reached a point where I'm an actor. It's not a thing I do, well, I hope. I'm an actor. I'm an actor,” and I think you know, for the last handful of years, it's been that way for you, but I think the show really hammers that home in a fundamental way.

Phil Dunster: That's a really lovely, lovely sentiment man, I really appreciate that and I know exactly what you mean. I think, having worked as an actor for the last 10 years and done the whole gamut of like, you know, working with no money in the bank, and all that sort of stuff, I will sort of resolutely stay as cynical as I possibly can about where the industry is, and so I will always believe that there will, you know… but I think that what — and there is a wonderful thing of, you know, it seems the show has sort of struck a chord with people, when it feels like being a part of that, being, on that wave on ship Ted Lasso, it feels really lovely, that after having, as I say, been acting for the last 10 years or so, knocking on doors, it seems that to collectively, to everybody — and it's great to see your mates to be coming up, you know, we've been working together for two and a half years now, these are… this is my family — and seeing these things happen for people is wonderful. And, you know look, hopefully some more stuff comes. I've loved doing… there's a show that I've got coming out called The Devil's Hour which I'm really excited about doing. Just being able to do stuff like that, being able to do weird and silly and stupid and difficult painful characters is what I really want to do. It's what I love to do, and you know, if it means that I get to continue doing that, then that's great. That sounds great, man.

Interviewer: Well that's a great way to wrap up, because that's, I think, what we want, like what else do we want, when we see someone that we like in a show that we like, except keep doing it and do different things, you know. Like be weird, be funny, be heart-breaking, get to play the range of emotions, because we've already decided we want to watch you in things collectively as an audience. And I think everyone in the cast is getting that, you know. I've loved Juno Temple for years, since like movies that six people saw, and now to watch her in this and see her go on to The Offer and then know like… Okay she was talking, a couple of weeks ago I talked to her about The Offer, and she was like "I can say no to things now and like, it's mean, you know? You don't want to say no, but also the idea of I can wait til something's perfect or I can choose between two things, you don't always have that, and to then have that is this, you know, very specific to the acting world comfort of ‘I'm wanted,’ and you know you're a human being, who doesn't want to be wanted?" And, it's just… it's great to see.

Phil Dunster: I tell you what, it is. And it's amazing to be with those people who have been through the ringer a few times. And obviously, you know, you've got Jason there, and then Brett who I spend a lot of time with, you know, they've been around the block a couple of times, and Juno and Hannah and Jeremy, like, it's really good… Jason talks about having ‘uncles and aunties,’ and I think that he, you know, that's sort of people that he would have met along the way when he was at school and I think that he… that there are those people in this cast, for me, that I find incredibly… that their advice is priceless, and I thank god for them.

Interviewer: Oh yeah, because at the end of the day, what else do you have besides are you happy with the work? Are you happy with the people you spend time with? Like, if you're not happy why do it? Like, because it's such a good job. If you can't find the joy, you know, are you gonna be happy doing something else?

Phil: You're right, yeah, I feel very very grateful for it and yeah, yeah. Thanks for listening to “This Time with Brene Brown” and…

Interviewer: Exactly, right? Well, thank you so much for doing this. I love the show. I love you in it. I can't wait to see what comes next and I also just want to see what happens after because who doesn't want to follow someone exciting? And also, you're a good dude so why not?

Phil: Thank you mate, I look forward to chatting again. Good luck with, uh, Miley.

Interviewer: Oh yeah. I love that every interview I've done today has said that afterwards. It's almost making me a little nervous.

Phil: It'll be great fun… listen, it will be nothing if not interesting.

Interviewer: Exactly! Words to go out on! Thank you so much. Phil: Big love man, thanks so much. Cheerio, bye-bye!

#Phil dunster #Jamie tartt #Ted lasso #interview #for your consideration #emmy awards 2022 #fandom: ted lasso #ted lasso cast #ted lasso cast interviews

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