TVLINE | Did you know before Season 4 started that Mae was going to pass away, or was that something you were told or found out when you received the script for Episode 9?
Closer to the time I received the script. Quite a shock. But what a privilege to have been a part of this. And she was able to do things that she hadn’t done: be with the team, be on the bus and be a part of things, because she cares so much. I thought it was a great way (to conclude his story).
And Jason told me that himself. He was very honorable and came to my room and talked to me about it. And then, from the conversation we had afterwards, he adapted his script in (episode) 10, but I can’t really tell you about that.
TVLINE | Mae has had so many wonderful moments over these four seasons. Obviously, she was especially happy this year with the creation of the women’s team, and there was a specific shot in Episode 3, when we see the Lady Greyhounds play for the first time, of Mae in the stands, and you can feel how excited she was to be there for that first game. What does it mean to you to see this new team give Mae such a sense of excitement and purpose this year?
Absolutely wonderful. I mean, the girls are wonderful – the actresses – and certainly when we did the quiz scene in the pub, it was like a tidal wave coming into the pub. It took two days to film, and they were so buzzing and filling the building.
I, Annette, support the Lionesses. I think what’s happening with women’s football is great. Mae grew up, like me, in a time when women couldn’t play football. I’m sure you know all this: they were banned. And she would have liked to play it herself, but she never could and never did. And so it’s huge for her. Huge. As a woman, it’s great that this is achievable now.
TVLINE | I was going to ask about the pep talk Mae gives to the team. Because it’s such a wonderful coda to Mae’s arc. Not only can she share her story and her love of the game, and what she couldn’t do and what these women can do now, but she can tell them, “You are talented. You belong on this field.” What did it mean to you to be able to punctuate Mae’s arc in this way?
I think it’s great that Jason allowed this. He cares about women’s football and its characters. So developing that – not just putting her on the bus, which is very joyful and wonderful, but living in that moment – is really important. She is not just a spectator. She actually gets involved.
TVLINE | Like you said, Mae spent her last day riding the bus with the Lady Greyhounds. She joins them in the locker room. She watches them achieve this incredible comeback. Do you think Mae died happy – and that, in some way, that was exactly how she would have wanted to spend her last day?
Yeah, I think that’s the best achievement she could have. Really, it’s great. Not that she would want to go there, but to see them evolve… Yes, that would be great.
TVLINE | We see some of the immediate fallout: Rebecca learns that Mae died, Rebecca tells Ted…and even though we don’t hear from Rebecca, we immediately see that grief wash over Ted. What does it mean to you to see how much this woman, this character, meant to both of them – and, by extension, to Richmond?
I was very moved because I didn’t expect it, I guess. But Mae and Ted have been more involved this season and she has established a bond with her son. So it’s important to me as an actor that that’s there for her.
Jason often referred to her as the matriarch. And although she was effervescent and loud, she was also a lioness. It took a lot to gain her trust and affection, but once you did, she would protect you. So that it is noticed and appreciated. There was a connection. She wasn’t just another person on the journey. It was very precise. So Annette is very happy that he felt it was correct.
TVLINE | What will you miss most about being a part of “Ted Lasso” and the experience you had making that show?
I’m very proud to be a part of it because of the public response. I will miss the laughter and camaraderie. But I get messages from people saying, “My mom has cancer. She goes to get treatment, she comes home, she is in a terrible state. We all pile on the bed and watch “Ted Lasso,” and we laugh and we believe it. So to be involved in something that can do that is a huge gift, and I will miss it desperately. But I know it’s the world, so it’s great.
TVLINE | The Crown & Anchor, aside from Nelson Road, is perhaps the most iconic set in “Ted Lasso.” Many of your scenes obviously took place there. I know that when a show ends, one of the common questions cast members get is, “Did you take anything off the set?” Obviously this show isn’t over, but do you have any sort of memento – something that you took from that set that you’ll have with you to cherish after this experience?
I still have my “w-ker” badge, but I’ve had it for a while. I was given something that was on the set. I didn’t steal it. I can’t really tell you, but that’s one of the reasons Ted thought about coming back (to coach the women’s team). It’s early in this (season), and it’s in (episode) 10, and it was given to me. But I won’t spoil it for you.
TVLINE | Mae has been highlighted this season. You had such a great scene with Jeremy Swift in episode 8, echoing “All the President’s Men.” Do you have a favorite scene from this four-season series?
No, but I liked the evolution (this season). There was more development, so I savored each of the scenes as they unfolded, and different stories were told. There wasn’t really a specific scene. The locker room is important, but I appreciated the women, the bus, just for her, this freedom, this sharing. Yeah, those scenes, I guess. But don’t tell the guys at the pub!
TVLINE | You have my word.
(Laughter)
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