How Ted Lasso's Billy Harris Prepared For Colin's Coming Out

Life and art certainly do imitate each other sometimes, and that beautiful kind of synergy is happening right now on the third season of "Ted Lasso." The sports landscape has started to change in recent years, with more and more athletes feeling comfortable divulging their sexuality publicly and largely being embraced for doing so. In episode three, Colin (Billy Harris) thinks it's time to come out, and the series handles it with a great deal of sensitivity, introducing us to Colin's partner Michael (Luke Ashton) in a very sweet exchange. In a show that's largely about acceptance and positivity, it's about time for a moment like this to be given proper attention, and the show is better for it. 

The soccer world is definitely having a moment right now and the timing of Colin's arc feels a little like kismet. The sport itself may not always be represented as realistically as possible when the actors are out on the pitch, but off the field, "Ted Lasso" has its finger on the pulse of what's happening in the sport right now. 

Colin is now the first openly gay character to appear on the hit series, and Harris was well aware that it was an important thing to get just right when he was preparing to explore his character's personal life. With so many players starting to come out in real life, it's also important to see a character on one of the biggest shows in the world dealing with the complexities of living what sometimes feels like two different existences on and off the field.

Harris recently spoke about being the actor to help introduce queerness into the storyline and how that mirrors what's happening in the sport today. "It's happening a lot in football at the moment with Josh Cavallo, Jakub Jankto and Jake Daniels, they've all come out in recent years," Harris told GAY TIMES. He continued:

"I've been in tune with that, knowing how the sport is trying to support and give solidarity [to LGBTQ+ players] with Harry Kane [being outspoken] and when the World Cup was over in Qatar. It's everywhere at the moment in terms of awareness. Taking that into consideration, that's how I've prepared for it."

When speaking about star footballer, Harry Kane, Harris is referring to the England football captain's decision to wear a OneLove armband during the matches played at the World Cup in Qatar, where it is illegal to identify as LGBTQ+.

While there is growing support, Harris also touched on how there are still some players that are still not ready to combine their professional and personal lives. "It's very real and, with Colin, you're allowed to see the person and not just the player," he said. Harris also talked about where Colin is at during the recently released sixth episode. "What's really quite heartbreaking is, in episode six, he talks about living two lives and that he doesn't feel like he can merge the two."

Fans of the show and fans of the sport certainly have a lot of crossover, and Harris is hopeful that character development like Colin's will help lead to more acceptance. "That is what we want the audience to consider when watching 'Ted Lasso' and if they're a fan of sport, to consider that there are footballers that are living two lives."