Sudeikis, one of series co-creators and an executive producer, was the loudest creative voice when it came to building the ensemble, which meant he had final say in every casting decision.
Even if Sudeikis had veto power, the concept lent itself to plenty of exploration, especially considering neither Sudeikis nor the other producers knew many British actors.
Park recalled that the majority of the supporting characters didn’t have a predetermined race or ethnicity on the page, allowing for different types of people to be considered for the roles.
One exception was Sam Obisanya, a character that had been written as having a Ghanaian heritage, but even those written specifications were not set in stone.
The role that Fernandez ultimately was selected for, Dani Rojas, was originally conceived as an Icelandic player that would come in as the club’s new signing halfway through the season.
“It was vital that all the team really could play football, so it was absolutely part of their audition process,” explained Park.
The multi-faceted performer was just coming off shooting his own sitcom, “Intelligence,” and didn’t want to be working on the post-production of one show while shooting another.
It’s one of the many responsibilities handled by the casting director, which despite the vital role it plays in the success of a series like “Ted Lasso,” remains underappreciated.
Even her close friends aren’t always certain about the duties of her position, so she explains it in simple terms: “You get a script and you get told, ‘These are the parts you need to cast.
But once she realized rejection might be too much to handle, her aims shifted to a career that would still have her interact with performance.
“We are really integral to the production of a film or television show.