EXCLUSIVE: Hannah Waddingham reveals the compliment that Jason Sudeikis gave her that made her 'emotional'

Hannah Waddingham is contemplating the conclusion of "Ted Lasso" and the significance of having Jason Sudeikis by her side throughout the whole journey.

In a sneak peek of her forthcoming chat with Willie Geist on Sunday Sitdown, Waddingham shared the tale of how she landed her role.

According to Willie, Sudeikis stated in an interview that he had a distinct idea of who would be perfect to portray Rebecca, the owner of AFC Richmond. She was responsible for bringing Ted Lasso on board as the team's coach with malicious intentions, but eventually became a central figure of the show's emotional core.

Waddingham disclosed that Sudeikis had previously mentioned to her, "My first encounter was with Rebecca. After that, I had to acquaint myself with Hannah."

When Willie asked Waddingham about the compliment he received, she became emotional because she knows that he doesn't hand out praise easily. She found his words to be absolutely lovely.

After portraying the characters of Rebecca and Ted, Waddingham and Sudeikis have developed a friendship. In November 2023, Waddingham was present for Sudeikis' charity event in Kansas City, where they performed a duet of "Shallow". A few weeks later, Sudeikis and the rest of the "Ted Lasso" team made a surprise appearance on Waddingham's Christmas special on Apple TV+.

Waddingham informed Willie that the TV show "Ted Lasso" is Jason Sudeikis' passion project, and she has put forth a lot of effort to earn Sudeikis' affirmation while he's in character with a mustache. She mentioned that she has never worked as hard on a project as she did on this one.

With a chuckle, she expressed, "It's only that 'uh-huh.'" The presence of other individuals didn't hold any significance. Moreover, the identity of the person in charge was immaterial.

Besides Sudeikis, Waddingham expressed that the ensemble was extremely lucky to have such a skilled team of writers including Brendan Hunt, who played Ted's closest companion Coach Beard, Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent, and Phoebe Walsh. The cast was truly blessed with exceptional talent.

However, Sudeikis is ultimately responsible for the show's direction and success. While wrapping up the third and last season, Waddingham expressed her desire for the presence of the "Ted Lasso" lead actor and creator during filming some of her final scenes.

She mentioned to Willie that in the past, she would inquire about Jason's presence and whether he was filming. She preferred to delay the completion of the ending until he was available, in order to ensure its accuracy.

Waddingham expressed her connection with Sudeikis again, which she has done before. When she won her first Emmy award in 2021 for her remarkable role as a supporting actress in a comedy series, she also acknowledged Sudeikis for recognizing her talents.

She informed Willie that when someone identifies a great quality or skill in you, which has occurred to her on rare occasions in her career, you don't want to disappoint that person.

The much-loved comedy series "Ted Lasso" wrapped up its third season in May 2023, leaving many fans uncertain about whether it was truly the final installment.

In the last episode, Ted went back to Kansas to reunite with his son. Nevertheless, the future of the individuals in England remained uncertain, making several enthusiasts wish for a continuation story.

During her appearance on TODAY on November 13th, Waddingham expressed her desire for the show to carry on, stating that she would absolutely "love" it.

"Well, you know, it's definite that I won't be interested in it unless the man is also interested," she stated.

Maddie Ellis works as a weekend editor for TODAY Digital.