Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham Had A Visceral Reaction To Rebecca's Season 3 Reveal
Character-wise, there's a lot going on in season 3 of "Ted Lasso," and almost no one is exempt from the trials and tribulations of life. That includes Hannah Waddingham's Rebecca, who deals with a monumental moment that shakes her character to her core in episode 3.
Turns out, the actor is somewhat acquainted with the situation her character faced — and it caused her to have a pretty visceral reaction to the material. In a pivotal scene in the episode, she goes to meet a psychic her mother recommended, and Waddingham felt the tensions as quickly as her character did at that moment. She told IndieWire in an interview:
"Even when I walked through the door, it was a bit like I'd gone into a trap. I was very keen to play her discomfort being there, because AFC Richmond is her home. There is an ease and a grandeur about her. But in there, it was full On Guard. I love playing that side of Rebecca that's backed into a corner and will spit at you in a minute if you're not careful. So when I got that, I was just like, 'Ahhhhh, come on! Thank you!'"
Rebecca's (and Hannah's) reactions
The character's demeanor takes a turn within the encounter, however, when the psychic almost randomly blurts out to Rebecca that she will have a child at some point. The interaction rocked Waddingham in a way she didn't anticipate — and that raw energy certainly appears on screen in the final cut of the scene. She told IndieWire:
"The way I reacted, I didn't expect it. I was physically shaking from it. And I'm hoping that you kind of feel that at the end of the scene, when I'm giving out to her. It rattled my core because I've had not a dissimilar thing myself with a fertility doctor. 'This is not going to be for you' is what I was told many years ago. And I left that room and went, 'Really?? F*** you!' What the psychic says at the end of that — 'You're going to be a mother' — when I read that I was like, 'Oh my God, it is so irresponsible to just blurt that.' To say it like an afterthought, it's horrific. As someone who has friends who've struggled with fertility, it's such a delicate matter."
At the end of the day, Waddingham is completely right — and the audience feels Rebecca's exposure and vulnerability deeply because of it. It's an intense and somewhat cringe moment but it gives Waddingham yet another place for her dramatic skills to shine. She's a gifted performer, and she's deeply good at bringing a sense of openness to the series, both in her solo moments and moments with characters like Ted. Rebecca is one of the most likable characters on "Ted Lasso," and there's no doubt we'll continue to root for her in every way, whether or not motherhood becomes part of her story.