Ted Lasso's Nick Mohammed Put Zero Effort Into His Nate Audition Tape
This article contains spoilers for season 3 of "Ted Lasso," so proceed with caution.
"Ted Lasso" wrapped up season 3 with a pretty bow on it, even if it was a little bittersweet. Coach Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) headed back to the United States so he could spend more time with his son, but upon his departure, his longtime friend Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) finally married the improbable love of his life with pretty much all of AFC Richmond in attendance, including a couple surprising faces and the recently redeemed "Wonder Kid" Nate Shelley. It all feels a little bit rushed, especially since Ted Lasso himself couldn't be there, even if the showrunners have an explanation for that. Speaking of rushed, that's exactly how Nick Mohammed was forced to audition for the role of Nate.
Speaking with Deadline, "Ted Lasso" co-star Nick Mohammed talked about the rise and fall of Nate Shelley on the Apple TV+ series. Funnily enough, Mohammed didn't even originally audition for the role of Nate. Instead, Mohammed tried out for the role of Higgins, Director of Communications at AFC Richmond, and Rebecca Welton's (Hannah Waddingham) assistant. As we all know, the role went to Jeremy Swift, but when Mohammed missed out on that role, he was unable to properly audition as Nate. Mohammed explained:
"It was the funniest thing, because I had not actually auditioned for Nate when it came about. I auditioned for Higgins actually and obviously didn't get that, the role went to Jeremy [Swift]. It was probably a good month or so later that I got asked to go in for Nate. I couldn't do it at the time, because I was filming something else. They were like, 'Can you just do a tape on your phone?' Hollywood! So glamorous!"
'So I hastily put something together over a lunch break during filming'
Mohammed further explained to Deadline how he had to quickly audition for the role of Nate:
"So I hastily put something together over a lunch break during filming. My friend read in, and it was kind of mad because I sent it off and didn't really think anything of it. Then it wasn't long after that I found out that I got the part and I was like, 'Oh, God, that's crazy.'"
The rest is "Ted Lasso" history. But when did Mohammed learn about Nate's dark character arc that fans would have a hard time shaking off when the time came to forgive him? The actor remembered how it all went down early on in the first season:
"I remember distinctly Jason [Sudeikis] taking me aside, I think while filming episode 4, and saying, 'If we get picked up for seasons 2 and 3, this is where things are headed.' And they were doing that not just for Nate, but Nate is a quite clear example of that, particularly his downfall having been promoted at the end of season 1 to where he finds himself at the end of season 2, ultimately betraying Ted."
Thankfully, the reaction from fans was not lost on Mohammed, especially when it came to just how quickly Nate was able to resolve the source of his insecurities. It turns out Nate has always been trying to punch above his weight class because of the high expectations of his father, who seemed to never really give him the approval that he desperately sought. Mohammed even found himself feeling much like the fans when he read the script and wondered about the resolution between Nate and his father.
'Everyone's entitled to their interpretation of it, even I questioned it'
Mohammed told Deadline, "Obviously, there's quite a visceral reaction to that from fans," and there was certainly a lot of questioning about whether or not Nate truly earned his redemption when everything was said and done. More specifically, the actor wasn't entirely convinced that the conversation with Nate's father was good enough. But Jason Sudeikis was the one who explained that everything isn't quite as hunky-dory as it seems. Mohammed recalled:
"Everyone's entitled to their interpretation of it, even I questioned it. When I read that speech that his dad gave I said to Jason, 'Nate has put up with 30-plus years, of never being good enough. It can't just be that.' And Jason was clear that it's not that at all. And that's why there are no tears on Nate's part and he doesn't hug his dad. His dad doesn't hug him. That's all saved for Ted in episode 12, and it was deliberate because it just represents the start of the healing process. It was not, 'Oh, right. They're fixed.'"
It's nice to think about Ted Lasso becoming the kind of father figure that Nate needed when his own father wasn't properly there for him throughout his entire life. That's exactly why Nate makes the mistakes that he does. Sure, Ted's forgiveness of Nate is exactly how we should feel in this situation, if we were being the bigger person. But the audience likely skews closer to Coach Beard, who holds a grudge for awhile but ultimately forgives Nate for his transgressions. Even so, it's difficult to accept the seemingly quick journey for Nate to be back in our good graces. However, if we take Mohammed's interpretation of it, there's still a lot of work to be done.
'For me, I think they will always have issues...'
Mohammed explained how he views Nate's resolution with his father in the finale:
"For me, I think they will always have issues, because of the trauma to a degree and what he's gone through for so long. I was keen that the apology wasn't just enough, and then that's it. But it has to represent hope, which I think it does. And that's really important because that's dramatically a strong part of the show."
That covers the origins of Nate's shortcomings and the complete douchebaggery that overtakes him. But does it really make up for Nate tearing up the "Believe" sign in the AFC Richmond locker room? If you ask your average fan, they might not think so. But with the potential of a "Ted Lasso" spin-off being teased, perhaps Nate will have even more of an opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of unconvinced audience members. Either way, making this big of an impact in pop culture with an audition that was put together without much effort is impressive enough.