The Truth About Juno Temple And Hannah Waddingham's Relationship
When "Ted Lasso" first hit the small screen, it took the world by a storm. This Apple TV+ breakout show centers around the eponymous character (Jason Sudeikis, though he doesn't go by his real name), a well-intentioned and tirelessly optimistic former NFL coach, who is hired to rescue a struggling English soccer team despite his complete lack of experience, as explained by The Observer. While the premise might sound cliché, there are so many things that this show got right. For one, the show debuted at a time when people needed it the most. Amid lockdowns and protests in the summer of 2020, this feel good show provided us with the laughs and positivity that we were all desperately craving.
To top that off? This uplifting sports comedy is not just for soccer fans. As Sudeikis puts it in an interview with CNet, "Ted Lasso" is "'Friday Night Lights' with jokes." While the plot of this culture-clash sitcom may revolve around football/soccer, at its core, it's a show about friendships and being part of a team. Aside from the adorable bromances and romantic pairings, one of the most heartwarming "Ted Lasso" friendships is between the two female leads, Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple. As for their relationship off-screen? Let's take a closer look.
It was love at first sight for Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple
Often times, real life doesn't imitate art. Characters who play best friends in a TV series might not be as close, or even get along, in real life. Fans have disappointingly seen this occur time and time again with actors such as Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey on "Grey's Anatomy" and Blake Lively and Leighton Meester on "Gossip Girl" (via Ranker). (If you've ever wondered whether Lively and Leighton are friends in real life, you're in for a ride.)
Thankfully, the extreme opposite is true of Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple. The "Ted Lasso" actresses are true friendship goals on-screen and in real life. In fact, Waddingham and Temple hit it off the moment that they first met. According to Variety, the dynamic duo met in the bathroom mere minutes before the first table read for the Emmy-award winning series. "I thought, 'Who is this tiny, perfect unicorn in front of me?" Waddingham recalled to The Hollywood Reporter, thinking back to the moment she first laid eyes on Temple.
All it took was a brief conversation for the actresses to both feel instant chemistry. "It was the most strange thing," Waddingham shared with Variety. "It was just completely natural and effortless...and it's been like that ever since."
The dynamic duo are relieved that their characters weren't pitted against each other
If "Ted Lasso" were any other show, there's a good chance that Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple's characters would have ended up as rivals. But instead, the writers behind this culture-clash sitcom chose to go a more rewarding and less predictable route. "We definitely wanted to play on the preconception that they're not going to get along," co-creator Jason Sudeikis shared with Variety. "These tropes have been around a long time, so why not use them to our benefit?"
Instead, the audience gets to watch Keeley Jones and Rebecca Welton, played by Temple and Waddingham, respectively, support, uplift, and mentor each other over the course of "Ted Lasso's" two seasons. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Temple shared that her real life friendship with Waddingham is similar to that of Rebecca and Keeley's. "It's something that happened off screen as well — supporting each other through moments of personal brilliance and personal tragedy."
Meanwhile, Waddingham is also a big fan of Keeley and Rebecca's friendship, but for another reason. In the same interview with Variety, the "Sex Education" star revealed that playing the role of Rebecca "would have been far harder if we'd been pitted against each other." She continued, "I would've actually found that quite distressing." That's when you know the friendship is real!
Juno Temple rooted for Hannah Waddingham to win the Emmy award
As fans have seen on-screen, "Ted Lasso's" Rebecca Welton and Keeley Jones are not competitive with one another. But neither are the real life actresses who play these characters. When the 2021 Emmys rolled around, "Ted Lasso" was the big winner of the night, taking home seven Emmy awards at the annual ceremony. For a few of the categories, more than one actor from the show was nominated, including for the outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series award. Yes, that's right: Both Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple were deservingly nominated for this coveted award.
Prior to the ceremony, Temple dismissed the possibility of any rivalry between her and her co-star. In fact, the "Dirty John" actress expressed nothing but support for her friend. "I feel very excited to go through that with Hannah," Temple shared with Vanity Fair, referring to her and Waddingham's Emmy nominations. "I was there for her when she won her Critic's Choice Award, and it was magic. I think she might win [the Emmys], and I really think that would be exciting."
Waddingham gave Temple a touching shoutout in her Emmy's speech
As it turns out, Juno Temple was right on the nose with her 2021 Emmy prediction. Hannah Waddingham won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in "Ted Lasso."
When Waddingham's name was announced, the "Ted Lasso" cast and crew all stood up to celebrate their co-star with a standing ovation. One cast member who looked particularly thrilled about Waddingham's victory? Her good friend Temple, who was sobbing happy tears of joy. Before walking up on stage to receive her award, Waddingham pulled Temple into a long embrace.
If you plan on watching Waddingham's acceptance speech, make sure you have some tissue's handy. After thanking her loved ones and giving a special nod to her friend Jason Sudeikis, Waddingham shouted, "Juno Temple! I swear to god if I could break off one of her arms and give it to you because that's what you are to me," referring to her Emmy statue (via Television Academy). "There's no Rebecca without Keeley. And if you ever leave my life, I'm going to stalk you." Waddingham and Sudeikis' relationship off-screen is another one you should explore, as it's just as sweet.
Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple can't stop complimenting each other
Time and time again, Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple have proven the pure love, admiration, and respect that they have for each other. And the truth is? It just keeps coming. In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, the dynamic duo gushed about all their favorite things about one another. "It's been really important to have such an incredible nurturer come into my life who also is one of the coolest, most generous, nonjudgemental, beautiful, brilliant women I've ever met," Temple shared. Meanwhile, Waddingham thinks that Temple perfectly encapsulates the spirit of "Ted Lasso." "I can't think of a time when I've heard her say anything unkind about anyone, and being around her makes you want to be a better person," she said.
As if it couldn't get any cuter, there's another person who absolutely adores Temple: Waddingham's daughter. In an interview with Variety, Temple revealed that she's taken on the role of "fairy godmother" for little Kitty. "If I had known Juno before I had my daughter, I would have 100% called my daughter Juno, for many reasons," Waddingham shared with Variety. These two are too much!