‘Ted Lasso’ Star Sarah Niles Teases Dr. Sharon Is ‘Always Observing’ in Season 2
Q&A
Be a Goldfish, Sam
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Ted Lasso‘s charm relies on its varied cast of characters and joining the mix in Season 2 is Sarah Niles‘ Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, a sports psychologist who is brought in to help AFC Richmond’s players.
Although fans have gotten small glimpses of the doc during her sessions with team members and her interactions with Ted (Jason Sudeikis), there’s more to come. From digging deeper into Ted’s hesitancy towards her role with the team to understanding her position as a sports psychologist, Niles opens up about bringing Dr. Sharon to TV and teases what’s to come.
We haven’t spent too much time with Dr. Sharon yet, what should fans expect from her role as the season continues?
Sarah Niles: I think Dr. Sharon is very ambitious and she’s got a kind heart. She’s very good at her job. She wants the best for everyone. She wants the best for Ted. She wants the best for the team, and she wants to do well at her job. There’ll be a few challenges along the way, I’m sure.
Ted is pretty resistant to Dr. Sharon’s position with AFC Richmond. Why do you think that is?
Well, Ted has had a journey in trying to build trust. He has a system where he works things out, and then someone new is coming in. Whenever you’ve got a psychologist or someone who’s coming to observe, there’s always this feeling that they’re coming to judge. Isn’t there? It’s a slow kind of realization for him about how important psychology is in sports.
(Credit: Apple TV+)
Dr. Sharon makes a bold statement upon her arrival saying that she’s twice as good at her job as Ted. Is that true?
Yeah, I think she makes no apologies for that. I think that’s what’s kind of refreshing really. When you’ve got someone who’s confident like that and feels open enough it’s [reassuring]. That opportunity to have time and space for those players is really important. I feel like there’s that idea when you have a boss that they are not someone you could talk to. Ted is kind of their boss and she’s more of an outsider that’s come in. So that opportunity to talk to her feels a little easier.
While Ted is resistant against Dr. Sharon, she’s just as closed-off against him. Why do you think that is?
She’s a woman that’s in the world of psychology, particularly sports psychology. There aren’t that many. In terms of achieving what she wants for the team, does it help her to fall into Ted’s charm? Or is it just that she’s focused on [the job]? I think she’s curious about Ted and where this all comes from. She’s always observing.
(Credit: Apple TV+)
Will we see the pair dig into deeper topics before the season is through?
Yeah. I think it will lend itself to that because we want to know what’s going on with Ted, don’t we? You’ve seen him have a major panic attack. He’s got stuff he’s wrestling with and we just want to see a little bit more. So maybe the two will influence each other.
Taking into consideration the seriousness of your scenes so far, was it difficult keeping a straight face while filming with Jason Sudeikis?
Yeah, definitely. Before we’d get into scenes, I knew I needed to get that energy out because he is going to make me laugh, and then I’m going to have to be very controlled and very serious. Even when he’s improvising it would just take forever to get to the scene and finish it because I would just be laughing. He’s so funny.
Ted Lasso, Season 2, New Episodes, Fridays, Apple TV+
