Keeley Hazell was an inspiration for the role of Keeley Jones on Ted Lasso. ET's Lauren Zima spoke to Juno Temple at the season 2 premiere of the Apple TV+ series on Thursday, and the 31-year-old actress revealed that Hazell, whom series executive producer and star Jason Sudeikis is dating, inspired her role of Keeley Jones.
Hazell and Sudeikis were first linked in February, when a source told ET that the pair, who met on the set of Horrible Bosses in 2014, are "seeing each other, having fun and seeing where things go." They seemingly confirmed their romance in June, when they were spotted displaying some PDA while out and about in New York City.
"She is a [friend] of Jason's that inspired some of Keeley's character," Temple told ET of Hazell, who, like her Ted Lasso namesake, is a model. "She was an inspiration for the part."
While Hazell inspired Temple's Ted Lasso role, the 34-year-old actress-model also appears in the series, playing a character named Bex, who is dating Keeley Jones' ex, soccer stud Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), at the end of the first season.
In August 2020, Hazell even made light of the fact that Temple's character has the same first name as her, writing on Instagram, "Meet 'Keeley,' sorry, sorry, I meant 'Bex.'"
At the season two premiere, Sudeikis told ET that Hazell, as well as other characters who appeared in the show's multi-Emmy nominated freshman season, will likely pop up again in its sophomore run.
"Anybody who shows up in season one, they are in the universe," the leading man said. "Much like life, you have the tendency to bump into people that you didn’t think you were going to see again, and then, lo and behold, they show up on your doorstep sometimes"
"I think we will see all of those folks again," Sudeikis added. "... There is an opportunity for all of those reconnections."
As for what else season two holds, Sudeikis teased to ET that "the idea is that sometimes the best way to help others is to help yourself."
"You're gonna get to know everyone more. You're gonna continue to be surprised," Temple added. "These characters are gonna take you on twists and turns in the same way that season one did where you can't predict what's gonna happen."
Season 2 of Ted Lasso premieres July 23 on Apple TV+.
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