1 week ago
9
Irish actress Aisling Sharkey has revealed a key piece of comedy advice she received from Ted Lasso star, Jason Sudeikis, that has stayed with her ever since.
The Dubliner, who plays footballer and twin, Niamh Harrigan, in the popular Apple TV+ series, admitted the show has been an extraordinary learning experience.
In particular, she praised director Jason Sudeikis, describing him as ‘one of the comedy greats of the golden age of SNL’.
Having not worked extensively in comedy before, the actress from Lusk said she was fascinated by the largely American, improvisational approach to filming.
‘We’ll do the line as is and then we’ll get seven different alts [alternatives],’ she explained. ‘Or we’ll show up to set every day and it’s a new script than the one we had last night.’
That constant unpredictability could be challenging, but Sharkey said it ultimately made the performances feel more alive.
‘It keeps you on your toes, which is difficult. It was challenging for sure,’ she admitted.
‘But I think it made it more alive and electric.’
She also revealed one particularly memorable piece of advice Sudeikis gave her while filming an ensemble comedy scene.
‘Comedy is musical,’ he told her.
Jason Sudeikis, Aisling Sharkey and Rex Hayes attend the New York premiere of Tad Lasso Season 4
Jason Sudeikis appearing as Coach Ted Lasso in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final halftime show
Sharkey said the lesson has stayed with her ever since.
‘The punchline, the kind of tee–up for the punchline – it’s all musical. It’s all energetic and you’re kind of passing this ball around to slam dunk it at the end.’
She recalled one occasion when she was struggling with a line that was not getting a laugh.
‘I was like, “I don’t get it. It’s not funny,’’’ she said.
But Sudeikis encouraged her to stop thinking about the line in isolation and instead listen to the rhythm of the entire exchange.
‘You’ve got to – it’s musical. Listen to it,’ he told her. She said: ‘It’s something I’ve thought about in every cast and audition I’ve done.’
She also hit back at sexist critics of the women’s team in the new season of hit TV show, Ted Lasso.
While she avoids online discourse, she has seen negative comments about the new female–focused storyline.
Aisling recalled one occasion when she was struggling with a line that was not getting a laugh
Aisling as Niamh Harrigan arguing with twin sister Siobhan, played by Rex Hayes
The backlash comes as Ted Lasso enters a new era with the latest season shifting its focus towards women’s football and introducing a female ensemble to the world.
She told the Irish Mail that this reaction made her question if viewers are judging women by a different standard to men.
‘What I love about this season is how messy all the women characters are,’ she said. ‘We have messy women and they’re not polite and perfect and super palatable.’
Sharkey told the Irish Mail that the reaction of the shift of the show's focus towards women's football made her question if viewers are judging women by a different standard to men
Sharkey said she saw comments describing the new female characters on AFC Richmond’s women’s team as ‘super aggressive’.
But she points out that similar behaviour from the show’s male stars rarely attracted the same criticism.
‘I’ve seen comments about how the twins are really annoying and super aggressive, but you never saw that being talked about with Roy Kent or with all the fighting in the other seasons,’ she said.
‘So, it’s interesting to put a gender lens on the feedback we’re getting.’
English (US) ·