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AFC Richmond just cant catch a break.
With Zava (Maximilian Osinski), theyre shit, and without him, theyre even more shit.
And at the end ofTed Lassosfifth episode, there isnt even Zava at all.
Zava comes in and has a pretty memorable four-episode arc before his sudden departure.
They have to work together.
Signing Zava, its exciting for the whole team and the coaching staff.
And of course, he does what he does.
He gives them wins.
He scores all the goals.
He walks the walk as much as he talks.
But I think his ultimate purpose is to push.
Theyre using that as a crutch.
I think thats like a lot of stuff in life.
They cant just sign away a run toward a championship.
I actually dont know whats going to happen the rest of the season.
I made sure not to find out, because I want to watch it like a fan.
Zava doesnt believe, heknows.
Its a clash in ideology.I think Zava realizes that as well.
Brendan Hunt talked to me about that scene.
For Zava, this is a big moment.
This is not how we play the game.
We dont see Zava fighting with West Ham and taking it out on them personally.
We see the team completely lose track of the mission of the season and the game.
I think Zava starts to realize,Is this a place for me to want to stay?
The sport means a lot to them, but also family does.
And toward the end of their careers, they value,What makes my wife happy?
Where are my kids the happiest?
Those are motivating factors for him to reassess.
And in a very Zava-esque way, he just floats away.
Even that cryptic speech he makes in the locker room, hes using the word you and not we.
Did you notice that?
Its not we will win because we will work together, its you will win.
Hes subconsciously trying to let the team know hes leaving.
Thats that moment where Dad lets go of the bike and the kid falls off.
Theyre like, We can do this.
We dont need a megastar right now.
Im curious how you feel about Zavas various life philosophies and how he interacts with his fellow players.
For me, Im going to commit fully to each version without judging it.
The way Zava deals with managers and the press is like a lion playing with a mouse.
Theyre dollars and pieces that they use to try and win games.
Zava has this more spiritual and holistic view of the world and himself in it.
He doesnt care about teasing managers here or ignoring managers there.
He knows that anyone will take him wherever he goes.
Theyre there for the team.
Its funny because hes esoteric, and hes trying to get the team together in his own way.
But at the end of the day, he knows hes the Michael Jordan of the team.
He knows why he was signed there and he knows what the challenge for him is.
I tried to play him as genuine in every scene and meaning exactly what he says.
Theres a bit of charm to him when he meets everyone in the office.
He knows who he is to those players and how those players view him.
Its like when you hear about celebrities.
Tom Cruise the stories about him.
What you read in the press is one thing.
He asks your name and he remembers your name.
He shows up in the morning early and he knows every crew members name.
How the press perceive them, thats their choice.
I wanted to commit to both those views without judging them.
Zava is soccers equivalent to Tom Cruise.Exactly.
Theres a huge mystery with Tom Cruise.
He doesnt do a lot of interviews.
Everyone knows who he is.
Everyone knows hes a fantastic actor.
But hes still Tom Cruise.
Hes going to take a private helicopter to set.
Hes not getting picked up with the rest of the cast.
You know what I mean?
I thought that was really interesting.
I wanted to bring that level of confusion to the audience and to the players.
Its like, I think I like him.
Hes really charming in person.
But he has switched teams 14 times in his career.
You cant catch him.
You cant put your finger on him.
Hes one of those mercurial characters, which was such a fun and challenging thing to play.
Ive had the same thought.
If the audience doesnt know how to feel about him, I feel like I did my job.
I didnt want to play a one-note unlikable character.
That juxtaposition for me is interesting to see play out.
Is he indeed retired?
Theres definitely a lot of stuff to pull from what happens with these guys in real life.
Some people do retire and open up a restaurant or start an organic farm.
And some people go off and play for an American team, like Zlatan did for the L.A. Galaxy.
So well have to see if we hear from Zava again.
Hes an amazing footballer and such a fascinating guy.
Zava is getting compared to a couple other players, like Aaron Rodgers, which is a little surprising.
Hey, nows your chance.Thats a good idea.
Ill call my team and say, Lets make something happen.
Would you ever get a tattoo of your own face?I have one.
Its actually on my left butt cheek.
Its an old headshot that I really loved.
You played that so straight that I believed you.[Laughs.]
If you notice, theres a tattoo in his tattoo.
Its the same tattoo.
Theres another mini-tattoo in there, if Im not mistaken.
At first we were like, Maybe it should be a lion or something Greek-inspired with a football.
And then they came up with Zavas own self because of that pose.
Originally, I was thinking of having some tattoo sleeves on my arms.
But they were like, Lets save it.
Jamies reaction to that had me rolling on the floor.
