There’s no other way to put this, if you are watching a project that Brett Goldstein is in, odds are, you will hear him throw at least one f-bomb. Of course, there are exceptions – like his appearance on Sesame Street. However, for the most part, the man is associated with swearing. He loves it, and recently, he got real about whether he could write without curse words. Let me tell you, his answer is very Roy Kent-coded.
With Shrinking’s second season airing on the 2024 TV schedule, and Goldstein stepping in front of the camera this season to play the heartbreaking character Louis, the actor was recently out and about promoting it. As a writer and co-creator of the comedy as well, he’s become known as a guy who can do it all. So, during an interview with The AP, he was asked if we could write anything without swearing, and this is how he responded:
Thinking over my back catalog, I don't know. Funnily enough, I am writing something. One of the things I'm writing is kind of -- as an experiment -- I sort of started going like 'This could work for families. Can I write it without swearing?' And I'm really struggling. I'm really struggling, because it feels like it would be better if they said ‘fuck it.’ Like I can do it, but I just don't think it's as good.
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This response has big Roy Kent energy to me. While Goldstein responded in a less grumbly and explicit way, his adamant energy regarding the word “fuck” is something I think his AFC Richmond coach-turned-player would agree with.
My goodness, Roy curses so much on Ted Lasso that his niece Phoebe calls him out for it and even makes him pay her every time he drops a bad word. That energy of attempting to not swear and failing was radiating off the actor in this interview too.
If you watch basically any of the comedian’s late-night appearances, you’ll hear that bleep noise. Out of everyone in the Ted Lasso cast, he definitely curses the most. And even when he won an Emmy in 2021 for playing Roy, an f-bomb was dropped immediately during his acceptance speech as he explained that he was asked not to swear.
So, you know, I get why he said that it’d be hard to not incorporate cursing into his work.
However, I’d love to see this family-friendly project he’s apparently trying to write. Notably, both Shrinking and Ted Lasso are heartwarming and caring shows that are fun for the whole family (as long as you don’t mind some curse words here and there). So, I know he can develop a great story for all ages.
The question is: Is he willing to do it?
I guess only time will tell, but like Roy Kent, the man who plays him loves a good f-bomb. So, I doubt we’ll be seeing anything solidly rated PG from him anytime soon.
