Nick Mohammed Says Nate Is "Playing with Fire" in Ted Lasso

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Spoilers ahead for Ted Lasso season three, episode four.

A major storyline in what's rumored to be Ted Lasso's final season centers around Nate Shelley, the former kit man turned assistant coach for AFC Richmond. He's now the head coach of West Ham, owned by Rupert, and is navigating his betrayal of his former team and his former boss.

Nick Mohammed, who plays Nate, tells Town & Country it was "another rollercoaster for Nate this season." He spoked with T&C all about episode four, "Big Week," wherein Nate's former club, AFC Richmond, faces his current one, West Ham—and the stakes couldn't be higher.

What was it like for you returning for season three of Ted Lasso?

As an actor, you relish the opportunity to go on a journey—that obviously happened in season one and season two, and Nate definitely goes on another journey in season three. There's an element of responsibility by this point—in that the show has done well and we're very grateful for that and there is an element of pressure. We're in a very privileged position to have that pressure, because it means that people have resonated with the show and Nate's storyline was quite front and center, certainly his betrayal, at the end of season two, and there is a lot of emphasis on that going into season three. There's a little bit of pressure that came with that, but it was really fun to play. I'm really excited to see what the audience make of it.

In episode four we see Nate try and gear up the courage to make amends with Ted. What do you think is going through his mind?

There's a lot going on for Nate! He's got a lot to prove, he wants to prove to himself that he can do the job and he really needs to beat Richmond because I guess he needs to justify to himself that him leaving Richmond was the right decision. I feel like he's got a lot to prove to Rupert, who's obviously a real toxic force in his life. I think Nate feels like if he can prove himself to Rupert, Rupert will be that father figure that he doesn't have—and maybe had in Ted for a time, but doesn't have any more.

In terms of approaching it as an actor, first and foremost, it was just really fun to be back with [everyone]—Jason [Sudeikis] was always around every filming day anyway, but to be with the whole cast, I haven't done one since the finale of season two.

So it felt like crikey! We've gone from Nate really being so mean and cruel to Ted, to him possibly trying to drum up the courage but never quite getting there to say that he's sorry. It was quite intense; it always feels quite real with Jason, like he's so good and I love him—those scenes are always a joy because he brings so much to it. I loved it. As I say, it's a thrill to play a character who has sort of got so many things going on.

You've been pretty firmly within the AFC Richmond world before season three, and now you are on your own or with some new faces. What was that like?

Without getting too pretentious about it, I tried to channel some of the sense of genuine loneliness. Because I'd gone from getting to hang out with everyone in the AFC locker room, and suddenly not being with those cast mates anymore—[except] Anthony [Head], who plays Rupert, is an absolute sweetheart. We obviously had a lot of stuff together and would have great chats and stuff.

But I definitely tried to channel some of the new experience of being on a different set with a different bunch of people into Nate, because that's what he would be feeling and those brilliant actors who play the West Ham team, when I would be standing up in front of them and coaching them, or calling them names and being rude to them in character as Nate, that was really intimidating because that's a bunch of people I absolutely don't know.

As much as obviously everyone's aware that we're filming a fiction fictionalized show, it felt quite real at times, when we're filming at London Stadium and West Ham is a real football club and things like that. It was odd, but thrilling as well.

As viewers watch episode four, they're going to see Nate pulled between wanting to apologize to Ted and feeling dragged further into Rupert's world. As spoiler free as possible, can you talk about Nate's path for the rest of the season?

It's evident that as much as he has been romanced by, or seduced by Rupert, in terms of the power and the glamour and possibly now even seeing him as a father figure–because you know, Nate has also delivered this win for West Ham, which Rupert's delighted about—he does feel like he's in Rupert's inner circle. But I think we know that Rupert is not a force for good and that that relationship will become frayed [laughs] and that Nate is a pawn in all of this. More to come for sure.

You feel a real sense of foreboding almost at the end of the episode.

Yes, you know that he's playing with fire there.

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