[INTERVIEW] Why Rick Astley looked open-mouthed at Ted Lasso

A few weeks ago we heard Rick Astley’s music in Ted Lasso. Now we talk to the singer about the event and what it did to him.

On the tenth episode of Ted Lasso, we were all taken by surprise when Rebecca Welton (aka Hannah Waddingham) sang Never Gonna Give You Up at a funeral. It was one of the most touching moments during the second season. It also surprised singer Rick Astley himself who previously announced this in a tweet. We were able to interview the famous Brit last week because of the new game Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, but we couldn’t resist talking about Ted Lasso. Rick turns out to be a big fan of the series.

Rick Astley on Ted Lasso

“I watch Ted Lasso with my wife and we love it. There’s so much good about it, the actors are amazing and it’s beautifully written. It is special that it is made by Americans. They have nothing to do with football and that such a series can captivate is a huge achievement.” He is therefore surprised that an American streaming service saw potential in the idea prior to the series. “If you told Apple in a pre-show meeting that this was going to be the most popular series on Apple TV+, they would have thought you were crazy.” According to him, it is partly due to the actors who, according to him, are very good.

But Ted Lasso has another meaning for Rick Astley: “I have lived in Richmond for 10 years myself and I know many of the locations. I used to get coffee on the street where Ted Lasso lives. I have frequented the pub on the corner in the series. My daughter spent a lot of time in that playground in the series. It is then strange that you recognize that small world.”

That’s how the Rick Roll came into the series

Rick Astley also talks about how his music was used in the film. “My wife does my management and was asked by Apple to look at the different sections where my music was used. My wife didn’t want to show it to me because she wanted me to see the whole episode of Ted Lasso first.”

When he finally got to see the episode, he was blown away. “People have used my song so many times and it’s often really good, but I’ve never seen it sung the way in Ted Lasso. It’s really well scripted. You normally see the song at parties, but at a funeral like this scene. The scene and the way it touches me.”

— Rick Astley (@rickastley)

Immediately after his tweet, he received a message from Waddingham: “I heard from the cast of Ted Lasso that they were as amazed as I was during the filming. So I sent Hannah Waddingham a message that I thought it was very special. She’s not one to mumble the song a little, but really a top singer who is also on Broadway. It was a beautiful performance.” Rick Astley is therefore very happy that the series has won 11 Emmy Awards. “I can’t wait for season 3.”

If you want to enjoy Rick Astley even more right now, you can of course play Guardian’s Galaxy. The entire interview with the singer about his career, gaming and Marvel can be read here!