Hannah Waddingham has been riding a wave of success recently, with her Emmy-winning role in Ted Lasso and her newfound fame as a co-host of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Within the sports comedy-drama series Ted Lasso, Waddingham portrays the character of Rebecca Welton, the owner of the English soccer team, AFC Richmond.
The finale episode of the third and possibly final season of Ted Lasso aired this past May. However, the filming of the satisfying yet emotional climax posed certain difficulties, especially for Waddingham.
Hannah Waddingham’s Scene In The Season Finale Was ‘Challenging’
Spoiler Alert!
In one of the final scenes of the third season, Hannah Waddingham‘s character bid farewell to Jason Sudeikis’s character, who was departing for his home in Kansas. The emotional interaction between Sudeikis and Waddingham was already filmed, yet the director of the episode, Declan Lowney, envisioned something more to enhance the already heightened emotions.
Lowney wanted an airplane taking off in the background as Rebecca Welton, emotional and crying, stood with her back to the runway, symbolizing Ted’s departure. Describing the setting, the director explained:
“The airport was tough because it’s an airport. It was at Stansted Airport in North London. Hannah was amazing, she was in great form, but she was quite tearful, and needed to be in her space. But I positioned her so she was standing with her back to the runway.”
However, this shot arrangement turned into a frustrating experience for the Sex Education actress, as she found herself tearfully waiting alone for hours to capture the essence of the scene.
Hannah Waddingham Found Filming The Scene A Bit Annoying
Hannah Waddingham was ready for her scene, but the Ted Lasso production team did not have the best timing that particular day. Lowney recalled that they waited a long time for an airplane to pass in the background for a wide-angle shot that solely featured Waddingham in the frame. This meant that the Benidorm actress was isolated amidst vast emptiness. Lowney elaborated:
“And it really isolated her. So when you see the wide shot, you know, she’s so tall, but all around her is just glass and vast nothingness out there behind her. And for three hours, it became Britain’s quietest airport, we didn’t have one fucking plane going past. And she’s blubbing, and I’m going ‘There’s one coming, there’s one coming. Oh it’s going the other fucking way.’”
The Emmy-nominated director recalled that the 49-year-old actress was visibly annoyed with him. Lowney had sought to capture Waddingham’s emotional performance placed against the backdrop of an airplane. However, as time wore on, the Les Misérables actress’s frustration grew evident, and she went, “Hang on I’m just about to destroy my makeup here. And you’re more interested in the plane in the background?”.
Eventually, the desired airplane shot did not materialize. Despite the setback, Lowney found solace in the scene’s final outcome, particularly the great performances delivered by Waddingham and Sudeikis. While Ted Lasso might not be returning for a fourth season, you can watch all three seasons by streaming them on Apple TV+.
Source: Cinemablend
