Hannah Waddingham on ‘The Fall Guy’ and impact of ‘Ted Lasso’ (April 2024)

Summary

Detailed Summary of "Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist" Featuring Hannah Waddingham (April 2025)

In the April 2025 episode of NBC's "Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist," host Willie Geist engages in an in-depth conversation with Emmy-winning actress Hannah Waddingham. The discussion delves into Hannah's illustrious career, her breakthrough roles in "Ted Lasso" and "The Fall Guy," her experiences transitioning from theater to screen, and her personal reflections on fame and artistry.

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1. Hannah Waddingham's Theatrical Foundations (03:33 - 25:02)

Hannah begins by sharing her deep-rooted connection to the performing arts, stemming from her family's background in opera. Her mother was a principal at Covent Garden before rejoining the English National Opera Chorus when Hannah was eight. This environment fostered her passion for theater from a young age.

Notable Quote:

"I've always been, and this is what helped so much in Spamalot. I've always been a bit of a vocal mimic." (23:31)

Hannah recounts her early experiences on London's West End and Broadway, highlighting her role as the Lady of the Lake in "Spamalot" (2008). She reflects on the challenges of being a stage actor striving to break into television, facing typecasting that limited her to minor roles despite her stage acclaim.

Notable Quote:

"There was a certain vision of people, okay, you're a stage actor. So she just got small parts." (04:53)

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2. Transition to Television: "Game of Thrones" and "Ted Lasso" (25:00 - 43:22)

Hannah discusses her pivotal roles in "Game of Thrones" and "Ted Lasso," marking her successful transition from theater to mainstream television. She credits pivotal moments, such as a confrontation with director Tom Hooper during the filming of "Les Misérables," for catalyzing her move into more significant screen roles.

Notable Quote:

"All these people. You wouldn't have a film to direct unless people were in the West End or on Broadway." (33:26)

Her role as Rebecca Welton in "Ted Lasso" is highlighted as a career-defining moment, where her character evolves from a gruff team owner to a beloved figure, showcasing her versatility and depth as an actress.

Notable Quote:

"I could feel it, like blue blood, red blood." (41:30)

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3. "The Fall Guy": Behind the Scenes (07:00 - 19:57)

The conversation shifts to Hannah's role in the action-comedy film "The Fall Guy." She describes the production's collaborative environment, emphasizing the camaraderie among cast and crew, including co-stars Ryan Reynolds and Emily Blunt.

Notable Quote:

"And what a visual. So glamorous." (05:40)

Hannah praises director David Leitch and producer Kelly McCormack for creating a respectful and ego-free set, allowing actors to thrive creatively. She elaborates on her character, Gale, portraying a producer with dubious methods but a dedication to getting the job done.

Notable Quote:

"I have absolute, total respect for them both, that they are both still, regardless of their huge status, they are actors first and stars somewhere very much down the line." (14:21)

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4. Voiceover and Animation Challenges (15:39 - 20:04)

Hannah delves into her voiceover work, particularly in animation projects like "Garfield." She discusses the physical demands of voice acting and the importance of vocal versatility, sharing anecdotes about maintaining vocal health amidst rigorous recording schedules.

Notable Quote:

"I should have just used my voice in a normal way instead of wanting to make the audience laugh." (19:55)

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5. Navigating Fame and Personal Life (43:22 - 52:28)

With the rise in her fame from "Ted Lasso," Hannah reflects on handling public recognition. She shares strategies for maintaining privacy, such as protecting her close circle and managing interactions with fans. Hannah also touches on the impact of sudden fame, balancing her personal life with professional obligations.

Notable Quote:

"I have it in a rucksack, and I can cope more with that." (48:43)

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6. Personal Growth and Advocacy (52:28 - 58:40)

Hannah speaks candidly about her journey towards self-advocacy in the industry. Recounting her stand against being pigeonholed as a stage actress, she emphasizes the importance of multi-faceted roles and resisting limited representations.

Notable Quote:

"I had to start saying no because I know that I'm capable of the standard that those people are." (36:34)

She also highlights influential mentors like Sir Trevor Nunn, who recognized her vulnerability and depth, encouraging her to pursue diverse roles.

Notable Quote:

"It's like being an intern for what I can put on screen now." (53:56)

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7. Future Endeavors and Reflections (58:40 - End)

As the episode wraps up, Hannah expresses enthusiasm for future projects, hinting at potential returns to beloved stage productions like "Spamalot." She reflects on her career's trajectory, appreciating the blend of hard work and serendipitous opportunities that have shaped her success.

Notable Quote:

"A dream come true. Ridiculous. Ridiculousness." (56:49)

Hannah concludes by expressing gratitude for her supportive colleagues and the transformative experiences that have brought her to where she is today.

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Conclusion

Willie Geist's conversation with Hannah Waddingham offers listeners an intimate look into the life of a dedicated and versatile performer. From her theatrical roots to her breakout roles on television and film, Hannah's journey underscores the resilience and passion required to thrive in the competitive entertainment industry. Her insights into the nuances of acting, navigating fame, and advocating for diverse roles provide valuable lessons for aspiring artists and fans alike.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• (03:33): "I've always been, and this is what helped so much in Spamalot. I've always been a bit of a vocal mimic."
• (04:53): "There was a certain vision of people, okay, you're a stage actor. So she just got small parts."
• (14:21): "I have absolute, total respect for them both, that they are both still, regardless of their huge status, they are actors first and stars somewhere very much down the line."
• (19:55): "I should have just used my voice in a normal way instead of wanting to make the audience laugh."
• (25:00): "If we're holding, then I'm jogging on, because I didn't want that."
• (33:26): "All these people. You wouldn't have a film to direct unless people were in the West End or on Broadway."
• (41:30): "I could feel it, like blue blood, red blood."
• (48:43): "I have it in a rucksack, and I can cope more with that."
• (36:34): "I had to start saying no because I know that I'm capable of the standard that those people are."
• (56:49): "A dream come true. Ridiculous. Ridiculousness."

---

This comprehensive summary captures the essence of Hannah Waddingham's conversation on "Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist," highlighting her career milestones, personal growth, and the factors contributing to her success in the entertainment industry.

Transcript

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[Jenna Bush Hager]

USAA hey everyone, I'm Jenna Bush Hager from the Today show and I'm excited to share my podcast Open Book with Jenna. It is back for season two. Each week, celebrities, experts, friends and authors will share candid stories with me about their lives and new projects. Guests like Rebecca Yarros in Hannah, Ego Wodom and more Like a good book, you'll leave feeling inspired and entertained. Join me for my podcast Open Book with Jenna. Listen now on Apple Podcasts.

[Willie Geist]

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit down podcast. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along. I think I got a great one dialed up for you this week with one of the most charism, charming, talented people in all of show business. She is the Emmy winner, Hannah Waddingham. Hannah, you may know best for her role as Rebecca Welton on Ted Lasso. She, of course, was the team owner of AFC Richmond. A little gruff, a little tough at the beginning, but broken down over the course of the show by Jason Sudeikis. Ted Lasso, that is the breakout role. That is the role that has made her a star over the last several years. And it's been a long road to this moment for her. Ted Lasso finally delivered her to the world. But as she says, it's been tough. She has been a star on London's West End for 20 years, at least maybe a little bit more than that. She came to Broadway with Spamalot in 2008. In fact, we have our conversation right in the heart of Broadway on 44th street at a restaurant across the street from the Shubert Theater, where she put on Spamalot. She played the lady of the lake in 2008, so more than 15, 16 years ago. But she has talked about, and does in some detail here in our conversation about how hard it was to get TV roles. Even though she was a star on the West End and a star on Broadway. There was a certain vision of people, okay, you're that you're a stage actor. So she just got small parts. And it all came to a head on the set of the 2012 movie Les Miserables, where she gets into a little confrontation with director Tom Hooper because she has been frustrated for so long about sort of just taking what she's been given, which small parts in movies and small parts in TV shows. It changes there. In that moment, she gets on Game of Thrones as the shame nun and then, of course, lands with Jason Sudeikis and the group on Ted Lasso. So she is just a wonderful person. You'll hear the charisma coming through your headphones. You'll hear the smarts, the experience, the life she's lived, all coming out right now in my conversation with Hannah Waddingham on the Sunday Sit down podcast.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Hello. Hi.

It's so nice to see you. Come on, we're doing this. Great. I've been so looking forward to this.

I feel like I'm just a gentle stalker of yours.

Oh, really? Gentle, the operative word, yes.

Gentle.

It's a good way. Set the tone for the conversation.

You wish you had, like a Covid screen here now.

No, I am thrilled to be sitting here with you and sitting here in a place, a neighborhood that is very special to you. Very special, which is right across the street. You were in Spamalot on Broadway at the shooter 2008, I think it was.

Yeah, 2008. 9.

What are your memories of that time and being a part of this community on Broadway?

My memories are quite. Quite broad and kind of not in a great sense. I loved being on the Great White Way and it was a total pinch me moment. But I was also the loneliest I've ever been in my life because there was a kind of being removed from me which I wasn't used to. The respect that is afforded a leading man or a leading woman is very different to London. So in London, it's the thing I first noticed when I was here, when you want to fit in and you want to be pals. I had that thing where, you know, in my company in the West End, I would be like, making tea in the crew room or going into the girls ensemble room or whatever. But then when I did that here, they were like, can we help you, ma'am? And I was like, oh, no, no, no. I'm, you know, I'm just. I like being in the thick of it. So I was being afforded a respect that I kind of don't want. I'm a bit of a. I like the grub of theatre and I've grown up with it with my mum. So I like going sitting in the crew room and having a cup of tea. They got used to me and got the measure of me after a while. But that was when I first arrived. I was like, ooh, this is quite formal.

Yes. And totally different from the West End that way. But I'M sure they loved it. Eventually, once they figured out what was.

Going on, that I was a complete. They got it. They did, but they got it. Cause I would come in in my. Like, just my stocking cap and my mic and just like, a little towning. Wraparound and Crocs and Hunker down, and.

So, you know, what a visual.

So glamorous.

But there had to be something about. I mean, you'd done so well on the West End, coming to Broadway and succeeding again. It must have been very rewarding to know.

It was gorgeous.

It plays everywhere.

Yeah. And actually, I ended up winning an award here before I'd ever won one in the uk. I thought, like, come on, you're my own people. Yeah. It was crazy. It was so lovely. And fell very much in love with Clay Aiken, who I didn't know from Adam. And he loved that. Cause when we started the show together, and I was like, who is this guy? And in fact, I've always called him Cake Bacon, because I was just like, who is it? And we had a bit of a running gag. I was like, you are not an.

American Idol fan, I think.

I mean, no, I wasn't. Cause I'd been doing my own stuff. And he was like, you don't know who I am or care, do you? And I was like, no, but I like you. So we're still great mates now.

And I'm sure that was refreshing to him.

Actually, he loved it. We would just disappear off between shows and hunker down together. It was lovely.

Well, we can talk more about your illustrious stage career in just a moment, but we've got to talk about the Fall Guy.

Yes.

What fun is this movie? I watched it last night.

Oh, did you?

Oh, it's just a blast.

Didn't you love it?

It's great. Full of action, hilarious.

Yes.

You're great.

Thanks.

Ryan is great. Emily's great.

Yeah.

And it's just fun. I mean, that's the word.

It's sort of a. Yeah, it is fun. It's fun. And I think it's a very loving nod to not only the 80s, but the stunt community. It is a massive, respectful bow and hug to the stunt community. And I love that because I'd never worked on a show where there are. I mean, when you're on a David Leitch Kelly McCormack production, the level of stunt person you're gonna have on that is the ridiculous creme de la creme. So you really get immersed in all of that. And the thing that struck me, the Most was that they massively look after each other because they have to, and therefore they looked after us. And that very much bled through to our side, you know, our little nook, the acting nook. And it was an extremely happy, extremely easy, fun, silly collective out in Oz. It was really, really a pleasure to be on.

And it comes across that way, which is, I think, a hard combination to do. A huge movie full of stunts and explosions, but also keep the characters a little small in their relationships. And the jokes are funny.

But that comes from Ryan first, I would say. I mean, he wrote what I'd be saying. And David, when I first got there and I was horrifically jet lagged, and we basically changed my accent, my hair color, and the script. And I'd got used to being on TED where, you know, the script is the script, right? Because the writers room have gone at it and finagled everything so that it's total perfection. So you change like something to Anglicize it. But we got there and I was just like, right, so this is just the framework. Good. I don't know where any of my molecules are. I think most of them are still in London. And I was literally just like, right, I'm just gonna have to be led by you and David and Ryan. The first scene I shot was in my character Gale's trailer. And it's the biggest, most important plot, setting, scene of the movie. I was like, guys, you are. Cause this is. Are you doing this on purpose? Is there a camera on me? Testing whether I'm, you know, getting a twitch on about all of this?

So for people.

So I thought if I could get through that, get through anything.

And boy, did you. So Gayle is a great character because she's. I guess she's a little evil or.

She'S not evil, really. Well, there's shapes she needs to see. I don't think. I like playing characters that are a bit. Oh, I bet off because I love finding their reason. Like with Septu and Ella, the shame nun in Thrones, she was making filthy Cersei atone for her disgusting, incestuous behavior.

You know, she's on the right side of that one, right?

And the same with Gale. I like finding the reason why she gets a little carried away with it all because she needs to get the job done. And like she says at the end, I make movies for all you tiny little people. But she's got a point. As a producer, you've got to get the job done. Whatever needs to be done. Her roots are slightly dubious nefarious goings on.

What's got to be done is. Well, we'll leave that out of this conversation. But it's a big. It's a big thing. It's not like a set change.

No, no, no. It's her modus operandi to get it done.

Now, you've been on enough sets in your life. Were you able to pull anything from people you'd been around in Hollywood?

Well, actually, Kelly McCormack, our producer, didn't. I don't think she quite realized until she started watching the dailies. She was like, you're basing this on me, aren't you? And I was like, appearance wise a little bit. And she was like, no, no, really? So there was a bit of that. But then when Gayle starts to go more into her kind of neurotic psychosis, that was more. I won't say who it was. It was more from another show I've done where there was a director that came in. It was actually a guy came in and everyone said that he was really chilled and funny and. And I just thought, is he? I don't think so. So it was more based on this one guy. That sudden moment of flipping was based on someone else.

I cannot wait to scrape through your IMDb page to see who that is. Who was he? We're gonna find it and put it directly into the piece.

Yeah, you turned into camera.

Exactly. Do I have it right that you were a fan of the Fall Guy television show?

Absolutely.

In the UK in the 80s.

My brother and I, massive fans.

Yeah. I think we're about the same age, so it played well for me as an American kid. As I said, you and Ryan and Emily have a great chemistry on screen. Was it that way off camera?

Even more.

Was it?

Yeah. Even recently the three of us were doing like a skit thing together. And it's so lovely. There's just an ease. I mean, there's an ease with Emily because we're both Surrey girls, so we know each other. Yes. There's just a vibe there. But that first, you know, I don't mind saying it, it was daunting going into that trailer, you know, not knowing what time of day it was. First meeting Ryan, feeling like the floor was moving because I was so jet lagged. He. Because he was a performer when he was a child as well and is a singer and he knew that I was a singer. There was also an immediate shorthand with him which was so lovely. So nothing has felt forced. It didn't feel like sometimes you get onto Things and you think have chemistry.

Right.

But there was just. It was immediate and effortless. And I have absolute, total respect for them both, that they are both still, regardless of their huge status, they are actors first and stars somewhere very much down the line. And the set was always happy and always moving forward and always for the greater good and tweaking things and changing things up because of them. And because David comes from the stunt world. So there was just such a lack of ego on the set, which I love having come from ted, where there was no ego either. I've been very spoiled in recent years. The people I've worked with. And that's. It comes through the screen, doesn't it?

Absolutely. And I do think Ryan and Emily, too, are underrated comedic actors.

100%.

They're both so funny in this movie and in many others. But you really see it in the Fallen.

You really see it.

Yeah.

And it was lovely watching them break down a scene and constantly trying to find the thing, you know, do we kiss here? No. And David as well. Do we kiss here? And there'd be times when there would be, like, me, Ryan, Emily, David and Kelly, like, down the trailer, all kind of brainstorming a bit together. And it's lovely. They're constantly thinking about what the audience want. What the audience want. And I love that as well. You know, I can't speak highly enough of all of those.

And do you like the big Hollywood production like that, which is a massive film.

I absolutely loved it. I was like, now we are talking. So great. And I love the fact that there are often times when, you know, because I didn't know either of them at all, when I would say something as Gale and both of them are like 12 year olds, like, giggling away and I'm like, stop ruining my take.

That's a dream, though, isn't it? It's brilliant to be that comfortable.

Yeah. And to really genuinely be fans of each other is lovely.

Well, it's a great movie. It really is. If it weren't, I would just say something more polite.

Something polite and smooth on it, really.

It's so much fun. But it's not the only big project you've got. Garfield.

I mean, Garfield.

Come on, Jinx.

I know. Jinx is such an. I love her. I feel like we need to unpack. Why I like playing.

Well, I was gonna follow up on that.

It's so fun. It's so much fun. She's such an. She really is. And really, again, I feel like I'm going through my neurotic psychotic phase Jinx. I mean, when I saw her, I thought, oh, no, this is gonna wear me out vocally. Because I knew she had to be all the time, so that you never quite know where you are with her, even though she looks all, like, pretty white, fluffy cat with a mood necklace and eyeliner. You know, I just thought, she needs to be really unsettling.

The fluffy animated cat is an in Garfield.

But I did it very much for my daughter. You know, she's nine.

Yeah. Was that part of the decision? Yeah.

Oh, absolutely. I wanted to have something that she can go and see with her friends and, you know, then she can show her children eventually. And. Yeah, it changes, doesn't it? When you have children, for sure. You're not only thinking, oh, you know, how much am I gonna be away? And can I take them with me? And is that still furthering their education and blah, blah, blah. But also things that I can do that she can watch, you know? Cause she's barely seen any of Ted.

That's tough.

Because of Goldstein swearing. Left behind the center. Then I decided, oh, I'll let her see the Christmas episode, because it's Christmas, and her mother swears quite a lot in that one.

That's right.

Yeah. My dad was just like, that wasn't a good idea, was it?

Someday she'll appreciate Ted Lasso. Just not this day.

No. No.

Was the animation experience. Is that fun? I've heard different versions of how.

Oh, I love it.

Just walking in in your sweatpants and playing in that room.

Yes. I love it because it kind of goes into an almost singing world for me. It's the same with playing Deliria in Krapopolis. I love seeing. I have to see at least the artist's starter sketch. But it's the same on this other thing I needed to see. They went, oh, we've really only just started. Oh, that's why we've only really just started sketching out a rough. And I was like, I just need to see whether they're this big, this narrow, that big. Where their voice box would sit is the thing for me.

And then something which sounds like a.

Silly thing, but it's important to me to see their kind of facial dimensions so then I can adjust accordingly.

Right?

Yeah. But I mean, the one thing I really need to learn to do is not wreck my voice senseless so that I then can't speak for several days.

You go hard in that recording thing.

I used to think I have no. I've just got no control. I did the Same when I was doing ADR for Fall Guy. You know all that last third act section when we're. Oh, yeah, yeah. They wanted me to do like a wild track of stuff. I literally couldn't talk for two days.

Oh, is that right?

Yeah. David was laughing because he was like, you go in, don't you?

And I was like, but you've learned to care for your voice over the years, given all the kinds of vocal work you've done.

Yes, but because I have that tool, I am sometimes disrespectful to her, but I love it. I love stretching myself. Like I was saying to you about being here. I just had no life because I had to make sure that it was spot on. And I shot myself in the foot by going, no, I'm going to use my four octave range all the time. Eight shows a week, which was a massive mistake. And I don't say it in a, you know, Charlie Big Spuds way. I say it in a. I was a D. I should have just used my voice in a normal way instead of wanting to make the audience laugh and that.

Being able to speak in between.

Yeah, having. No. I would walk off stage and be like.

The things you do for your craft, right?

[Willie Geist]

Hey guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Hannah Waddingham right after the break.

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[Jenna Bush Hager]

Jenna Bush Hager from Today with Jenna and friends reminding you to check out my podcast Open Book with Jenna. In this week's episode, I sit down with New York Times best selling author Jasmine Guillory to talk about her latest novel, Flirting Lessons, how she made the leap from being a lawyer to becoming a full time writer, and the joy she finds in creating Stories with the happily ever after. You can listen to the full conversation now by searching Open book with Jenna wherever you get your podcasts.

[Willie Geist]

Welcome back. Now more my conversation with Hannah Waddingham.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I love hearing about the origins of your story and how you got here because you come from a family of performers. Your mother sang in the very prestigious opera, the English National Opera, for many years. 30 years almost.

Yes. She went back to work when I was 8 and my brother was 11. So she went back into the English National Opera Chorus at the London Coliseum. But before I was born, she was a principal at Covent Garden at the Royal Opera House. And both her parents were opera singers in the Isle of Man, you know, the tiny sliver, of course. Yeah.

So growing up at 8 years old and 10 years old and on up and seeing your mother like that, do you say, I want to do that. I want to be on a stage somewhere? Maybe not as an opera singer.

I don't know whether I. I don't recall ever thinking I would do anything else, which meant the force was very strong with this one. And I would sit there watching the amazing directors of the day, you know, David Pountney and Jonathan Miller and all those amazing people. And I would, without realizing it, kind of by osmosis, vocal placement more than anything, I think went into me. And also the. Because I would just sit in the orchestra, as you guys call it, in the stalls in England. I would sit there for hours on end like it was my, like, child care pen. And I would just be left sitting there. And it was at a time when they'd let a kid just wander around. And it was the most. I realized, I realized at the time, but I realized more since what a privileged position I was in to just have free reign of this magnificent Frank Matcham Theatre.

It's one thing to want to do it. It's another thing to have the talent and the voice and the presence to pull it off. So when did you start perfecting that and feeling like, okay, maybe I'm good at this? A few people seem to be clapping after my performance.

I genuinely don't know because I never considered anything else. I've always been, and this is what helped so much in Spamalot. I've always been a bit of a vocal mimic. I would always be able to sing in different styles. You know, even when I was kind of 9, 10, I would do an impression of Tom Jones or Shirley Bassey or, you know, I fell in love with Whitney Houston or, you know, all those people, Macy Gray, all these people of that time. But I would also listen to their. That's what I was saying about the placement of people's voices. And then that goes into animation or, you know. And I suddenly realized, doing shows, when it came to doing my own one woman shows, I used to think, I don't know which voice is my voice because I'm always turning her into Desiree or the lady of the Lake or Rizzo in Greece or, you know, or the Wicked Witch of the Wet. So I'd have all these plates spinning. And I definitely lost a sense of self vocally within all of that. But I really don't remember going, oh. I don't remember having such a kind of planned out stream of consciousness like that at all. It just kind of was a foregone conclusion to me that I would just do it.

It's what you do.

Right?

This is what mom does, and this is what I'm gonna do.

Yeah.

Came naturally.

Yeah.

One of your first stage performances, maybe your first, you can correct me, is something I love because I saw Tony and T Tina's Wedding in New York when I was in high school. I grew up in New Jersey across the river. And I remember coming in, what is this?

What the hell?

And I remember being in the bathroom, genuinely going to the bathroom, and a guy who had a bad tux next to me doing a scene. And I thought, is this real?

Should I worry about that?

But it was an actor. Of course. But that was one of your first parts. A different version of it. Yeah.

Joey and Gina's wedding.

Right, right.

For legal reasons. Who knows why it was that? But I remember having conversations with people and getting a real buzz from them going, no, but this is a show. And me going, sweetie, did you not bring a gift? Do you want me to go run and get you something? And then I would hear my. You know, it was musical. A series of very clever musical cues. Or you would hear two waiters. Waiters having an argument, one smacking the other one around the head with the tray. And you'd know that that was your cue to go over there and start whatever bit was moving the story along. And that was the greatest. That's why I've always wanted to do snl. Subtle hint.

This is NBC.

I mean, I feel like. Feel like I have been waiting to do that. I even said it to Jason, said Acres. I was like, that's where I started with the power of yes. Because you have to be so on it for something like that. Me trying to convince people at the time that I had A hairdressing salon under the Loop in Chicago. Never, ever been there. I didn't know what I was called. You know, I'd called it the Curl up and Die. Like, just thought of it on the spot and just kept it for the year. But when you've done improvisation that early. That was from when I was, like, 19 to 21. Those formative years are so important. And I've never done improv ever since. And I was with big boys on Ted, you know, Jason and Brendan Hunt, Second City and all of that lot. I was just like, we need to do SNL together so that I can flex that again and have all the different hats looking ridiculous, all the fake teeth, all the, you know, eyebrow, or just. I love all of that. I love not looking like me.

You would be amazing on snl.

Yeah. Did you hear that?

Yes.

Woody Geist just said it. The.

They don't love when you ask. They'll tap you on the shoulder.

Oh, yeah.

So we'll just be quiet.

No, I've heard that. Yeah. I mean, I don't really want to do it.

They'll let you know anyway. Yeah.

What's it called?

Casual indifference. Yeah. By the way, Sunday night Late for people who have no idea what we're talking about. Tony and Tina's wedding or Joey and.

Gina's wedding, which I think is rubbish.

Was an improvisational wedding where the audience. For ours.

Yeah, same with us.

And you attend, but you don't know if who you're sitting with is in the show or another guest and bride. And there's things happening in the bathroom.

Why would you all want to do that? So unnerving for the audience.

Oh, my God.

I'd hate it if I was in the audience.

It was so much fun, though. Cause you didn't know what was real. So I can imagine how fun that was.

I mean, I used to. Cause I was playing this, like, pneumatic Barbie doll character. And I would go up to people and just be like, could you stop looking at me, please? My husband is over there and you're making a fool of yourself. I mean, it was really. It was at a time when you could kind of get away with things like that. Then I would, like, take a guy's handkerchief and go up to my husband and go, he just gave me this. That one over there. And the guy would be like, no, no, no, I didn't. I mean, just causing absolute mayhem. It was so much fun.

It was very clever.

So naughty. Yeah, it was great.

So cool. So cool. And you go from There. And you have very successful. We've talked a little bit about West End and coming here to Broadway.

Yeah.

When you were doing all that and having the success that you had, were you also thinking about TV and film or were you just.

No, I wasn't. Because. Because. And I've been quite vocal about it, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, like at the Emmys, in my Emmy speech, I had no intention of getting on my soapbox quite as much as I did, but it just fell out. Because it is very important to me that at the time it was impenetrable TV in Britain. If you were in theater TV at the time, you'd go into a meeting and they'd go, oh, you do this. I had this once you do this, like, singing, theater, singing thing. And at the time, I'd had like 10 years of being a leading lady in the West End and it really got the bit between my teeth that there was TV and film. People could come into theatre, albeit, you know, like a musical or plays or whatever, but going back that way didn't happen. So when I did learn little bits and pieces in the uk, but it took me coming to Broadway and seeing that people would ebb and flow in and out of the two different mediums and be respected for it and be called this thing of a multi hyphenate. Whereas in the UK it was, well, hold on, are you this or are you that? And I actually parted company with an agent back then because they said, well, what do you want us to market you as? And I was like, if we're even having this conversation, then I'm jogging on, because I didn't want that. And there was a kind of feeling at the time of being greedy. And I thought, well, no, if. If they can do it, why can't I do it? And it's not a question of being arrogant about your ability. It was a need to. Like you were saying earlier about, when did you know? How did you craft that journey? I knew that it was time for me to have a little stretch and a little flutter somewhere else. But I had realized I had been very much indoctrinated to stay in my lane. And once I'd realized that I'd been indoctrinated, then I was mad.

It's also very lazy. Yes, you're a great actor. You can act here or there.

Yes, absolutely. Just tell us to break. In fact, I had. I don't know whether many people know this, but when I did my one scene cough and a spit on the Les Mis movie. And we've seen each other since Tom Hooper. And I had just a gentle falling out because he was asking somebody else to get all us musical theater people to bring it down. And I heard it, and I'd had enough. And because I was only doing one scene, I thought, I'm just gonna have to say something. And I said, can I just stop you there? And I could feel like. I would say, like, you know, in Jurassic park, when the nice dinosaur goes, yes. I just felt a bit like that. Cause I'd had enough at that point of being. Of feeling like I should be grateful for a scene in this or a scene in that. You know, oh, it'll all add up, and eventually something will happen. And I just had enough of it. And I said, you do realize that this girl here is playing Fantine. She's playing Fantine, the whole role in the West End at the moment, every night. This girl here is currently playing Elphaba or whatever. And we're all here doing one scene for the greater good of this movie. But can I remind you that all these people. You wouldn't have a film to direct unless people were in the West End or on Broadway under dressing clothes upon clothes upon clothes in the heat of, you know, like, May to September on stage. And it is a total vocation. You wouldn't have a film to direct if we didn't do the hard work on stage. If you want us to take it down, ask us to take it down. Wow. And he had this. We did laugh about it afterwards. The next few days, he was like, waddingham, can we go again? Does anybody need a pee break? And I was like, no, I think very much. And we were fine after that. But I just thought, no, don't presume that people in theater can only do that.

Right?

Ask us to do that. Ask us to do nothing but give people a chance to prove themselves. Don't write us all off.

Good for you for doing that.

I had to.

Yeah.

Because it was really. I was sick and tired of it.

And whether you meant it or not, the Emmy speech did a version of that as well. Like, come on, guys.

Yes.

Now I have this platform. Listen up. Yes. Yeah.

Look in. Look in. Stage doors.

Right. So what was then, in your mind, the breakthrough when you did come out of the stage door? Was it Game of Thrones? Was it something before that where you thought, okay, I'm in here a little bit?

It was one step before that, actually, it was Benidorm. And I nearly didn't get that either. But the writer Darren Litton said to itv, I don't want somebody that's already established in tv. I've seen her in theatre all these years and I know she's right to play Tony Dyke. And I'm very grateful to him and very grateful to David Benioff and Dan Weiss for taking a punt on me for Game of Thrones as well, because I didn't think I was going to get that at all. All the other women that were there for the. For the audition were, I mean, seriously older than me and much smaller than me. And I thought that they'd made a mistake. And I was eight months pregnant.

Oh my gosh.

Like, you know, when your nose and mouth join in during pregnancy. I was literally a ship in full sail. So I'd gone to say hello. Cause I desperately wanted to meet them. I loved Game of Thrones so much. The cinematography of it is so extraordinary and their attention to detail. And so I just wanted to meet them really for next time because I knew it was going to go on, you know, the eighth series. And when they then offered it to me and they said, you do realize that this is filming imminently, I was like, okay. So took my little girl out with me. And then it was almost like them allowing me in made everyone else prick up a bit. But I even kind of had it with Ted. I knew that Jason wanted me for it and various people, but there were just a couple of people that were unsure because I was less known. And I got David Benioff and Dan Vice to write an email to the powers that be. And it was so lovely because Dan Vice's email, the subject was, what are we even discussing here? And that meant the world to me, that is, to have an endorsement from people like that. And he's a very quiet, lovely man, Dan. And I've always been so grateful to them both because it was such a beautiful, quiet, genuine endorsement of let the girl play.

And that's also an endorsement of you, of your talent and your, yes, willingness to push for things that you deserve to have. But you had to fight a little bit for it.

Yes, I did. I did. And I. And I've been brought up in quite a kind of Victorian autocratic family life of perhaps not speaking out. So I didn't for a long time. But then it got to the point where I just thought, I have to at least try because otherwise I'll be bitter to myself. And I even said to my then agents, I'm not willing to keep feeding constantly into other people's narratives on camera. So we start turning down this scene here, scene there, an EP here, an EP there. I'm perfectly happy to stay in the beautiful career that I'm in and do concerts and do voiceovers and all of that, but I have to start saying no because I know that I'm capable of the standard that those people are that I'm feeding into.

What a great example, though. I mean, for your daughter, on the one hand and for.

Yeah, it was nerve wracking, though. I'm sure it was really nerve wracking at the time. A big gamble, probably. Yes, big gamble. Because I'd got to where I'd got to in theater and I felt like that was up here and I was kind of scrabbling around down there. So those people in particular, but also Sir Trevor Nunn in musical theatre, he was the one that kind of said, I see you as the, you know, vulnerable. We're all sometimes vulnerable, sometimes flawed, sometimes this, sometimes that. I see that. I don't just see a six foot blonde who has a belt. And that did something to me as well, to be seen. So there are a few people that I will never forget have gone, no, no, you can go on, go on. Really nice.

Ultimately, it had to be you, though.

Yes.

You had to push in the door in the end.

Yeah. And it's like you say, it's really nerve wracking because you don't know how it's gonna turn out. Might be career suicide in one place because you've stepped away from theater and you don't want people to think, oh, she's gone off. And, you know. But now I love it because it means I can. I'm established enough to go, like I said, go and look in that doorway. Go and get her. Go and get him. He's 70 and brilliant. And that's the one you're looking for. Not the same old face that everyone knows, right?

Yeah. It's funny to hear you talk about the TED Lasso of it all, because I heard Jason recently in an interview. Somebody asked him about your role on the show and how it came to pass and all that. And he said, I had a vision in my mind of who she was. And we did all these chemistry tests with people and I was like, okay, she's good. And then it come back, and then no one could agree on anything. And then you've told the story just now, but the emails come through and they say, okay. And he said to this interviewer, you walked in the door. Showcase. All right, that's her. And then when you. I think it seems I'd be interested to hear from your side of it, he felt something immediately like, oh, we found her.

Yeah, I mean, I felt that. And the thing I love more than anything, and it made me very emotional when I heard him say it, because he doesn't give compliments lightly. When he said, I saw Rebecca first and then I had to get to know Hannah. Yeah, that was just gorgeous. And I always say to him, I've never worked so hard to hear someone behind their mustache go, mm. Just that. Mm. It doesn't matter who else is there. Kinda didn't matter who was directing if I heard Jason go, mm, because he's his baby. And I've never forgotten that it's his baby. There. There is. We have the most. I mean, we've been spoiled senseless, you know, with the Brendan Hunts and the Brett Goldsteins and the Phoebe Walshes, all those people in the writers room. But the buck stops with him. And so it should do, because it's his baby. So to get that from him. I used to. Even in season three, I used to go, is Jason. Is he filming? Is he filming? Can we just wait a little minute? Has he wrapped on that yet? Because I wanted to get that ending right with him. So, yeah, he's very special to me in terms of someone seeing something in me, you know, and you want to. When somebody sees something in you, like, I've had very few points in my career elsewhere, you don't want to let that person down, you know?

Did it feel special on the page Ted Lasso, when you read it, did you love Rebecca, first of all, did you think, oh, this is something like I've never seen before?

Yes, it was. You know that speech in episode one when I'm looking at the picture of Rupert and I go, he's such an asshole. I want him to rot. And the whole cricket bat of it all, I learned that it's like I could have glanced at it and gone, yeah. It was the weirdest thing of feeling her rippling through my bloodstream. And even now, I can be looking at you and at the moment feel like Rebecca and then switch her off and be Hannah. It's the strangest because it's a small adjustment, but I can literally feel it, like blue blood, red blood. And I've never had that with anything. But it makes it difficult now because the lovely position I find myself in of being sent lots of things, I end up going, no, because if you don't feel that once you've felt it. It's very hard to feel it on anything else. And thankfully, yes, I've been spoiled senseless. And the fact that, you know, you'd be able to put in your two pennith and anglicise it and bring what I wanted to bring to it because of previous experiences I've had with, you know, people wouldn't expect that someone of my height and build and front footedness, people wouldn't expect me to have had that kind of verbally abusive relationship with someone. So it was hugely cathartic as well for me. And Jason knew that. And there were several times, particularly in season one, when I'd go, dude, have you got cameras in my life? Because it was freaky. Just a version of yeah.

And you could get some of that out on set.

So much out.

Interesting.

Yes. Yeah. But I love that. I love, I love being able to kind of donate that to her.

[Willie Geist]

Stick around for more of my conversation with Hannah Waddingham right after a quick break.

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[Hannah Waddingham]

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[Hannah Waddingham]

A fresh new energy. And no matter what the day holds, we come to the Today show for all of it.

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[Hannah Waddingham]

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[Willie Geist]

Welcome back now to the rest of my conversation with Hannah Waddingham.

[Hannah Waddingham]

So that TED Lasso comes out in August of 2020. We all know what that means for the rest of us sitting in our homes, desperate for something to lift us up.

Yes.

And along comes this beautiful show.

Yeah.

What do you think made the Ted Lasso moment so special? What was it that went into that that just made it blow up and become this thing? It just felt good.

Yeah.

It was well acted and well written, all of those things, but it also just felt good.

It did. I mean, hilariously. Myself and Brett Goldstein stood behind the craft truck while we were drawing towards the end of shooting season one. Bear in mind, he's in the writer's room, but it doesn't matter now because it's gone. He and I both went, I don't think this show knows what it is.

Really?

Yes. And I was like, it's been so lovely to get to know you, though. And he was like, you too, Hannah. Really lovely. We're not gonna be doing a season two, though, are we? We were like, oh, well. And kind of signed off with each other because we hadn't seen it all edited together and because neither of us had seen what I think is mainly responsible for it. The most beautiful kismet casting on anything ever for me. So you've got the alchemy of the greatest casting with a lot of people that were pretty much unknown. All of us, like, at it for years, but mainly unknown. And then a writer's room that was awash with female and male feminists, which is again, not common. So all of that coming together just produce something that when I watched it, I went, I'm in a massive hit. It has to be. Because it just. Every single character, you immediately felt like you knew them. And it's that age old thing of. You've got to give a. By the end of the first step. Otherwise I don't know about you, but I'm. I'm not one. When people go, oh, no, stick with it for two, three. No, that is same as succession for me. The end of that first episode, I was like, oh, couldn't wait. Like on it, like a truffle hound. And that's the same thing with Ted, I think.

Absolutely. Even if you. I mean, because I remember Jason's character, it was for an NBC promo, and I said, okay, that was a funny little bit.

Yeah.

And now they're doing an entire series on it.

Yeah, in theory. Should have fallen on its ass, right? Yep.

And then after the first episodes, you go, oh, wow, this is special. I can't wait for more.

Because you see that glimpse of him even. You know, the fact that people say that my character was this and that Darth Vader, the first few eps and all the rest of it. No, you see, I purposely put in flickers, like when Ted says to her, you know, oh, yeah, I heard about your divorce. How are you holding up? It's a beautiful moment of, oh, somebody's this guy that I'm hoping will fail and burn this place to the ground Because I'm so. It's not. She wasn't bitter. She was absolutely. Had her heart ripped out and smashed on the floor and didn't know how to conduct herself anymore and had just thought of it in broad strokes. This buffoon comes in and goes, hi. Hi. Hi. You know, beautiful.

I see you. You're going through something in his own Ted Lasso way. Yes, it is. It's beautiful. How did you, Hannah, handle the side of it outside the show? Which is, if you walk down the street today, everyone's gonna know you and yell and say hello. And if I'd done this five years ago with you, you'd get some theater folks who would say hello. But your life has really changed in the last couple of years. How has?

Especially when I go into a theater, which is a hybrid, a whole load of weird.

You get them both, right.

Yeah. I turn into a photo booth.

How have you handled that side of it?

It's odd. Definitely odd. I do think, you know, just about to turn 50. Thank God it's happened now, because I think it would have been too much back in the day, because bear in mind, you don't spend 22 years in theater with any real desire, certainly in the uk, to be famous or chasing money or whatever. It is definitely about your craft and treading the boards. And I know people use that expression, but it's true, you know, the smell of the grease paint, the roar of the crowd. I just fed off it really did. So I am glad that it's happened later on and, you know, after I've had a child and stuff. So all of that, all my groundwork, all of my training, all of my grafting, all of the blood, sweat and tears, becoming a mother, becoming a single mother, all of that feels like I have it in a rucksack, and I can cope more with that. And, you know, my close friends would say that they know that I've made my world smaller to protect it. But by the same token, people are always lovely, really lovely. And like I say when I go into a theater, like when Jason and I took our kids and parents and stuff to see Spamalot at Christmas, we walked onto the stage and Jason jokes. He's like, he might as well not be there. Which is so odd to me. I just thought, I can't believe this company of Spamalot were so lovely and so effusive. And they hadn't told lovely Leslie, who plays the lady of the Lake, they hadn't Told her that I was in. I was like, what are you talking about? It's ridiculous. So then I was just like into it with her. And we had the most gorgeous, you know, two gals knowing the demands, you know.

Yes.

So I try and treat it on a day to day basis, but it's odd. It is odd. Definitely odd. I get quite bored of wearing a cap because I know here, especially when I go like that, I get like. You were saying your wife is like.

She was very excited that I was speaking with you.

I get the gasps, which is so odd when you've been knocking about for a long time.

You are also difficult to disguise because you are tall and striking. You can't sort of like move in some way. Yes, yes.

I blame the bleach and the massive mouth.

We were talking before we started about this interesting phenomenon. Interesting to me anyway, where people who discovered you in Ted Lasso are working backwards now and going, oh, my gosh, did you know that Hannah Waddingham can sing? She's amazing. Or they saw the video of you and Jason at Thunder Gong doing Shallow and that went viral and all this. That must be a funny thing for you to say. Yeah, I've been at this a little while, guys.

We call them the back catalogers.

Is that it?

Yeah, it's really lovely. And I get so many messages from people saying, I was just deep diving and I found you in into the woods or ever. Really, really lovely. When I think back and when people say things like that, I go, yeah. And they wouldn't bring me to do it in the park here because I wasn't known enough. And you think, but you're looking at my clips now in your face.

Not that you hold blood.

Not at all. No, not at all.

But you have a small list of names to carry with you.

Yeah. I mean, I'm not gonna lie. There are a few producers that are now suddenly like, is there a book you want to develop? And I'm just like, no, you're all right. Just look somewhere else. Because, you know, we're human and we remember.

It's human nature.

So no, bug off.

Also, the idea that you're an overnight sensation must be comical to you given how hard you've worked to get to this point.

I mean, as you and I were saying, fabulous. Cheryl Lee Ralph and I were discussing that about being, you know, overnight 30 year successes, 30 years in the making. Or like, you'll win an award for comedy and you just think that it's just comedy in itself because you've Just been. But that's what I mean about. I like the fact that I've been knocking around for a while, you know, I like the fact I say to my daughter, do not be fooled, when she says, oh, no, I want to do this. Even in the car yesterday, we were driving down Broadway, and she was like, mummy, this is the part of your career I want to do, not the telly thing. I want to be on Broadway. And I said, but remember, she goes, I know. Didn't start in a black Mercedes because it's important for her to see that I had no life. You have to become so disciplined with your voice and your body, and it's grafting, grafting, grafting, grafting, for no other reason than loving the craft.

You know, start at Joanie and Gina's wedding, right?

It's just a. It's a. It's a whole kind of. It's like being an intern. I feel like all of that was being an intern for what I can put on screen now. Although, like I said to you, I'm desperate to have another little go at Spamalot.

We've gotta get you out.

Desperate.

You have a good idea, too? Maybe we won't announce it here, but I think that's.

But don't you think that's the way to go? Definite, yeah.

It's the way to go for a.

Good cause and not as exhausting.

You're also another thing I don't think you could talk about yet, but Mission Impossible.

Yes.

Tom Cruise. I mean, when it blows up for you, it really blows up.

I know. You know, it's ridiculous. And the thing that's lovely at the moment, I feel like, you know, when they say that your phone's always listening. I feel like when I was just saying with one of my buds today that it's almost like I say things. And I'm a firm believer in manifestation. I feel like I've put a couple of things, like, chucked out things here and there, and they're the people that have been kind of pricking up their ears a bit. It was so odd to be asked by him to go and, you know, I literally finished on Fall Guy, got back to London, unpacked those cases, repacked a smaller case, got on a plane, met him on the tarmac, him and Chris McQuarrie and Tom's sister, lovely Caroline, on the tarmac. Oh, hello, You're Tom Cruise. Casual.

Yeah.

And he was like, oh, let me take your bag for you. It's underneath his legs. And I'm just Like this is Mendel. Got on this Osprey. On the Osprey. Out over the sea, the George H.W. bush carrier is traveling along a crazy amount of knots. He's like, video, video, video, this is your ship, video. We're gonna land on the ship. We land on it, moving four and a half thousand service, active service men and women there to receive us. And I'm still jet lagged from Australia, thinking, style it out, Wadding Shaw, style it out. We're there for five days, no finery, sitting like this, playing, talking, being 12 year old dickheads together. It was brilliant.

Wow.

So much fun. And I think he and Chris realized very quickly that I'm quite a geek. And he was like, do you want to come and watch this F18 taking off. We're going to have to duck our heads a bit because of the wing. And I was like, yes, sure, Tom Cruise. I do give me my ear defenders. I don't need my rib cage that's rattling. Anyway, it was brilliant.

Are those the pinch me moments where you go, oh my gosh, oh my God. Way back to when you started, how did I get here?

Yes, dream come true. Ridiculous. Ridiculousness.

You know, a lot of people are really happy for you because when they hear your story and they know how hard you've worked and that your talent and all the things you've talked about have been rewarded in this way, people just root for you, they love you so much.

It's so lovely. Well, don't you make me get emotional. I feel it here. I really feel it. And both at the Emmys night before party and at the Globes this year, I was literally pivoting the whole night. My manager said you had another pivoting night because everyone was coming up and going, congratulations for everything. And I don't know whether you guys know, but that's not a common thing in most countries. People go, oh, look at you, you're everywhere. Which is very different. People going, congratulations for everything. Is really lovely. And I don't take it lightly. And it hits.

We're rooting for you.

Thanks.

I talked to you for hours. Suspect you had other places to be. Thank you so much. This was so wonderful.

Thank you.

Fantastic.

Thank you.

[Willie Geist]

My big thanks again to Hannah for a great conversation. She is fantastic. And my thanks to all of you.

[Hannah Waddingham]

For listening again this week.

[Willie Geist]

If you want to hear more of our conversations with my guests every week, be sure to click follow so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday Today every weekend on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit down podcast.

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[Hannah Waddingham]

USA.