‘Ted Lasso’: Toheeb Jimoh & Cristo Fernández Reveal Season 3 Wishes For Sam & Dani
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SPOILER ALERT: This post includes spoilers from the Season 2 finale of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso.
Ted Lasso wrapped up Season 2 with an explosive episode that tied up many loose ends for nearly every character—but it also set up new adventures ahead for Season 3.
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<img class=" wp-image-1234852957" src="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021105-e1633718403433.jpg?w=300" alt=". - Credit: Apple TV+" width="320" height="212" srcset="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021105-e1633718403433.jpg 800w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021105-e1633718403433.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021105-e1633718403433.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021105-e1633718403433.jpg?resize=630,420 630w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021105-e1633718403433.jpg?resize=60,40 60w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021105-e1633718403433.jpg?resize=110,73 110w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021105-e1633718403433.jpg?resize=285,190 285w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021105-e1633718403433.jpg?resize=320,213 320w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021105-e1633718403433.jpg?resize=640,426 640w" sizes="(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" />Apple TV+
Toheeb Jimoh’s Sam Obisanya experienced major personal growth across his arc in Season 2, which saw him form a romantic attachment to AFC Richmond boss Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) and stand up for himself when bully Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) returned to the team.
“Sam’s grown so much from the first season where he’s just come from Nigeria when he’s missing home and not really sure about where he fits in,” Toheeb tells Deadline. “Then he meets Ted [Jason Sudeikis] and he offers all this positive reinforcement which leads him to the second season and Jamie and Roy [Brett Goldstein] are gone. So from the series premiere episode to the Season 2 premiere, there was already so much growth and we see how he’s matured.”
He continues, “What I loved most about this season is we get to see a different side to Sam. He’s one of the most emotionally mature characters in the show which starts to reflect itself in the way he handles his romance with Rebecca—and he does it all while keeping his heart open which is one of the hardest things to do. He’s brave enough not to build walls which has been something really interesting to explore this season.”
Cristo Fernández brought back the happy-go-lucky Dani Rojas this season also in a new stage of his life. Audiences saw a dedicated footballer working towards earning that moment in the spotlight and winning the big game for Richmond.
And while Fernández admits he loves it when fans greet him with Dani’s “Futbol is life” catchphrase when he’s out and about, he hopes they’re also seeing the character means much more than just that.
“I’m working hard to show our fans who Dani is and that he is more than a catchphrase,” Fernández says in Spanish. “Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t bother me at all when people tell me, ‘Futbol is life.’ We’re all good as long as they don’t say, ‘Soccer is life.’ I’m like, ‘Come on guys, we repeat it so many times! You can’t get that part wrong.’ I jest, but I am proud of how this character and his joie de vivre has resonated with so many. I hope people apply Dani’s look on life to anything they want to and that it helps lift spirits.”
He continued, “I’m really proud of Season 2 and Dani’s new arc as he evolves and becomes more of a three-dimensional character. That final moment in the finale where he makes the goal and he sees the dog was such a full-circle moment for him. That really represented to me how oftentimes things happen and we don’t understand why until much later—it was a pivotal moment for him and for me on a personal level.”
<img class="size-medium wp-image-1234852953" src="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021102-e1633717941728.jpg?w=300" alt=". - Credit: Apple TV+" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021102-e1633717941728.jpg 800w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021102-e1633717941728.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021102-e1633717941728.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021102-e1633717941728.jpg?resize=630,420 630w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021102-e1633717941728.jpg?resize=60,40 60w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021102-e1633717941728.jpg?resize=352,235 352w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021102-e1633717941728.jpg?resize=110,73 110w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021102-e1633717941728.jpg?resize=285,190 285w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021102-e1633717941728.jpg?resize=320,213 320w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021102-e1633717941728.jpg?resize=640,426 640w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Apple TV+
Jimoh looks back proudly on Sam’s decision to remain in London and declining billionaire Edwin Akufo’s (Sam Richardson) lucrative offer to play for his Raja Casablanca. Instead, he opts to plant some roots in England by purchasing a commercial space he intents to make a Nigerian restaurant.
“I’m a child of immigrants who also grew up in Nigeria, so I really understand that feeling of not feeling like you’re home in a foreign land,” he says. “Anytime Sam gets a little taste of his culture, he runs to it in a way that any child of immigrants does. I still don’t know what we’re going to do with that restaurant but I think the fact that he’s bought it, he’s claiming this space that will represent to him and other Nigerian immigrants that they belong in London. Any Nigerian who walks past will know this belongs to them too. We can feel seen, and that’s awesome.”
He adds, “Next season, I want to wrestle more with Sam as a character and that’s plotlines aside. He’s just one of the nicest and warmhearted people on the show—which is saying a lot because so many of our characters are like that. I do want to see him try and stay that way when things aren’t going so great in his life. How do you stay positive if you’re feeling insecure, or threatened? That’s a challenge people face every day. I don’t want people to see him feeling great all the time because that’s just not reality. What’s Sam’s life like when he’s had a really tough day? Or what it’s like for him to feel really heartbroken because the thing with Rebecca completely ends? I want to see all that because that’s real and that’s human.”
<img class="size-medium wp-image-1234852984" src="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?w=300" alt="." width="300" height="200" srcset="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg 1000w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?resize=630,420 630w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?resize=60,40 60w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?resize=352,235 352w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?resize=110,73 110w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?resize=285,190 285w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?resize=320,213 320w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?resize=640,427 640w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ted_Lasso_Photo_021103.jpg?resize=800,534 800w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
On the heels of Dani’s penalty kick helping to win the final match, Fernández is hopeful it sets up the character for his time in the spotlight.
“Yes, I would love to see Dani have his moment to bask in the spotlight next season,” he said. “This season we explored different emotions that Dani could have. I would love to dive further into his feelings and maybe find a love interest. He’s a man of many passions! I hope the team wins somehow so they can return to the Premier League so Dani really has an opportunity to show he can push the team forward. And if he did, would that change his attitude? Would he be stuck up? I’m speaking of Dani here to be clear. Even with all the accolades we’ve received for our work on Ted Lasso, my family and friends always keep me in check. They remind me of where I come from and how that is a part of me forever. That’s the beauty of this show; it’s showing the immigrant experience in a way that’s non-stereotypical and I relate to Dani’s experiences on so many levels. I don’t know what the writers are cooking up but I know it’s going to be good.”
Seasons 1 and 2 of Ted Lasso are available to stream via Apple TV+.
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