Nick Mohammed ends three seasons ofTed Lassowith a friendly debate about his character.
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But then the daddy issues,Empire Strikes Backparallels, and random spitting set in.
Ofcoursethis guy was going to return from the dark side.
But what took him so long?
And why was he even there in the first place?
I think people can change, Nate says in the finale, reunited with his Diamond Dogs.
Sometimes for the worse and sometimes for the better.
Dont get me wrong, a lot of people are on the side of Nate.
So its good to talk about it.
Nates journey back to Richmond and his redemption arc have been scrutinized this season.
If the show teaches us anything, its to be curious and not judgmental.
It felt very cruel.
When someone starts off there and you grow to root for them and like them, its brilliant.
I get that its difficult for people.
But I would question why people find it so difficult, because he just made mistakes.
Listen, Nate is so insecure and still is to a degree.
Hes not completely fixed.
He clearly struggles with his mental health.
Hes never had a supporting family.
His dad has always put him down.
That relationship was really quite toxic and defined a lot of his life.
And, look, he was bullied by the place.
He was bullied by Colin, he was bullied by Jamie.
Rebecca didnt even know his name.
Im not condoning it, but he felt he had good reason to do such a thing.
He felt that Ted was the wrong person to manage that team.
Hes loved Richmond for all his life and he wants to see them succeed.
And he thinks Ted is a phony.
I was really surprised that people werent willing to forgive him as much as I hoped they were.
Dont get me wrong theres definitely people who I think got it.
Our capacity to forgive is really tested in season three.
Poor, odd Nate.
Did you personally scrutinize any decisions that related to Nate this season?There was one.
And Jason was like, Oh God, yeah, we wont do that.
Its just to represent the start of hope.
Of course thats true because thematically the show is all about hope.
Theres a reason why they dont hug in that scene.
There are no tears.
Theres still a bit of a disconnect.
Theres so much more that these two need to talk about thats not fixed at all.
So I remember questioning that, but no, pretty much everything else I understood.
They had been so clear from season one as to where Nates story was headed.
I felt lucky to be privy to a lot of their thought processes behind the decisions.
People can interpret it however they choose, obviously.
But it made sense to me.
Nates father, in their moment of reckoning, calls him a lifelong genius.
Do you agree with that characterization?I was nervous about the use of the word.Geniusis an overused word.
I dont know if theres a scientific or psychological definition of what a genius is.
I feel like Nate definitely does have precocious talent.
He, undoubtedly, can see things that others cant see, especially in football.
Were revealing that hes professional on the violin with a high IQ.
I tried to balance those two things.
Its almost like hes so caught up in his head.
Hes just constantly self-analyzing and over-analyzing.
I think hes pointing towards that more.
Whats nice is that we actually see Nate developing emotional intelligence this season.
No one can teach that.
He has to learn that himself.
Its slow and its paced out over the 12 episodes, but he does go on that journey.
I love that theyve done that to him.
Again, Im not saying that by the end of the finale hes completely fixed.
Im sure hell have these inner demons.
He needs to sit down with Dr. Sharon to a degree.
Hes going to need that support internet.
But he has one now and hes making decisions for himself that arent at the expense of damaging others.
Hes so fallible as a character.
Thats why I struggle with people not being able to forgive him.
Its like, What do you want him to do?
Whats the pound of flesh?
We did talk about it quite a lot.
It would almost introduce a bit of a toxicity to it.
Kind of like, Haha, Im leaving and Im getting back at you.
Rupert would scream obscenities at him.
Nate would probably break down in some way, but he would still leave.
Something like that happens and everyone dives onto social media.
Theres all this speculation and theory.
There was a real kind of innocence to the fallout, with Nate going into quite a deep depression.
It was an intricate and artistic move that they could collide those two storylines without it feeling predictable.
There are other scenes like that.
You dont see Roy and Keeley kiss.
We dont see the moment when Nate rejoins Richmond.
We dont see him walk through the door.
I think its because we know what that is.
We dont need to see stuff to know what happens.
We can go to more original storytelling.
Do you wish you had more time to explore Nates interiority?Thats interesting.
I didnt feel like I needed it.
It was great that Jason and Brendan Hunt were always present on set for all of the scenes.
We would always do a bit of a deep dive into what had gotten us to that point.
With Nate, I agree that there are quite a few offscreen moments.
From an acting point of view, I love working with Anthony Head.
You dont need to see that scene, but it feels fun and it creates its own energy.
It was all there.
It wasnt that no one hadnt thought of it or we were just skipping ahead for practical reasons.
It was very much deliberate creative choices that they had made.
I really trusted them, partly because they trusted me with the performance.
But then they learn from it.
Colin has come out.
Hes been accepted for who he is.
They actively bullied Nate in the first season.
People have forgotten that.
We can almost call it a draw.
These characters are always learning.
Whether theyre showing scenes or not is a whole different thing.
Theyre accepting who they are and whats going to make them a better person.
Ted is a catalyst for that, which is wonderful.
What message is that sending out?
I dont get it.
I feel like viewers who dont see that are watching a different show.
Of course its open to interpretation and I get it.
I just ask them to look at the story.
Theyre in a good place.
What was the biggest lesson Nate learned this season?Hes learned to be happy with who he is.
Hes stopped putting on a front.
For so long hes struggled to be himself.
Its all bravado because he feels he has to overcompensate or alter his behavior.
When he talks to Rupert, he alters his behavior.
Theres even a difference in how he speaks to two members of his family.
Hes finally realized that he can be comfortable with who he is.
Its no surprise that hes happiest when hes back to being assistant to the kitman in the finale.
He doesnt have to pretend anymore.
He hasnt got any points to prove.
He became so self-obsessed in season two so vain.
Its the realization that those things arent important anymore and self-worth counts for a lot more.
You dont need to shit on people to get ahead.
What blanks did you find yourself needing to fill in for Nate?
Nate is still quite enamored by Rupert.
She sees Rupert for exactly who he is and Nate doesnt register that.
Im not saying Nate should be praised for not cheating on his girlfriend.
But its in that moment of, Who is this guy?
What am I becoming?
Where are my loyalties?
What is my heart saying?
I think its then where knows he has to leave the club.
But also he thinks,God, What have I done?
Ive quit my job.
Where am I going to go?
Its more of the shock of hes been in the clutches of a narcissist and was probably becoming him.
Its a real turning point.
A long hug is all Nate really needs to realize what he decided to do is correct.
Nate and Teds locker-room reconciliation is also a quiet one and devoid of long speeches or proclamations.
That scene was filmed on the very last day of the whole shoot possibly ever.
We dont know if were coming back or not.
It was the last scene I shot.
I had been aiming for this scene since the end of season two.
I had possibly worked myself up a little bit about this scene.
I knew it wouldnt be lots of words.
Its so much nicer when its a quieter scene.
Its a bit more powerful that way.
It was quite embarrassing.
Everyone had come in for the last day.
Weve been together for several years and been through this huge ride of a show.
Were so lucky that the show has done well, but it comes with a certain pressure.
Were so privileged to be in that position.
What does he want at this point in his life now?
What are his aspirations?Theyre probably not professional aspirations.
He knows what he can do on the field.
What a delight for him to be Roys new wingman.
Thats a lovely dynamic and I think hes completely content with that.
He knows he can help, but its not all about him.
Hes not trying to prove himself anymore.
I love the fact that he and Jade will hopefully have a lasting and happy relationship.
But, look, you know whatTed Lassois like.
If we were to go again, Nate will have times when hes down, depressed, and struggling.
Is Jade the one for him?
More needs to be done on that front.
But were definitely on a path for healing, which is a good start.
I like to think that the gray hair is a constant reminder of, hell never be ever fixed.
Hell always have the trauma of what he did.
He has to live with that.
But if he can live and be content with that, its a good thing.
We get to see Nates mindset about why he likes Jade.
Can you help me understand what she sees in him?Hes been going to that restaurant forever.
Shes seen him on and off for quite a long time.
When Nates model date leaves him inepisode five, she asks where she went.
He responds truthfully and says, Oh, she actually said something really mean and left.
Its not that she then feels sorry for him.
I think Jade just sees him at that moment as a normal guy.
She sits down with him, they have a chat, and they have some food.
Its not like theyre suddenly married.
They sleep together at the start ofepisode eight, but even then weeks have gone by.
I feel like its difficult because its not a constant timeline withTed Lasso.
Its just the start of a positive and nice couple.
I dont think she needs to see the world in him from the start.
I think theres possibly a slight hangover of people being like, What would she see in Nate?
Hes just this guy.
I get why people think that.
But its like, Well, whycantshe?
Why cant she like him?
Shes not entering into some contract.
We hope that well see some real positives to their relationship.
They make each other laugh.
Even in the montage at the end, theyre still together, which is lovely.
But, again, I struggled with people questioning that.
Why cant he date?
Why cant someone fancy him?
He changes and he works on himself.
But its the opposite.
She doesnt give a shit about any of that stuff.
Its a shame that people havent seen that.
But theyre going to rewatch.
When Nate leaves for West Ham at season twos end, his hairtransformsinto heavy streaks of gray.
Were there other deliberate choices about his appearance while the final season evolved?Completely.
Its to emulate Roy to a degree.
He carries that same suit with him a lot in season three.
The turtlenecks, the gilet hes literally uptight in the West Ham stuff.
The writers had such a smart answer to it.
But as a token of thanks, he still wears the jacket.
Its a nice gesture that Ted is still part of him, but hes his own self now.
Nate has learned and grown and he can now be set free.
We changed it to be softer.
Its a sign of him returning to his own self.
Its also a lot comfier in that wig.
But I think the better question is: Would you even want to return?
Do you feel the need to return to this character?Im really torn.
First of all, I genuinely dont know.
I think its up to Jason.
Theres a sense of satisfaction with that.
So if it does end, Id be like, Yeah, great, lovely.
I feel like there are so many stories still to tell.
You could watch a lot of these characters.
I would love to see how their stories continue.
Given the way that the finale played out, it feels like it couldnt be a show without Ted.
Theres a sense of finality there.
I would just love to hang out with all those guys and girls again because were such a family.
Whatever happens, there will definitely be a break.
We wont be going straight into anything else for a good year or so.
Whether theres a special, a film, another season, a spinoff Im open to it all.
Given the amount of thought they put into Nate, it would have to be an interesting story.
