Inspiration can be found in everything, and in Brendan Hunt’s case while making Ted Lasso, one morsel of it came from a wild experience he had with Jordan Peele. Do you know that incredible viral bike scene Roy and Jamie share in Season 3? Yeah, that was partially inspired by the Coach Beard actor riding a bike in Amsterdam with the Nope director, and the story behind the whole situation is wild and hilarious.
Ted Lasso is known for its wholesome moments, however, the bike scene has to be one of the best. At a bare minimum, it’s one of my favorite instances in the show, because it helps solidify the friendship between Jamie and Roy in a meaningful yet hilarious way. Turns out, it was partially inspired by Brendan Hunt’s own time doing comedy in Amsterdam, as he told Uproxx:
We’d had a big party at my theater (Boom Chicago) and I was biking home with my girlfriend along the Lijnbaansgracht. And that was when Jordan Peele was in the cast. And Jordan lived closer than I did, and he didn’t like biking very much, so he was walking home. But I passed him and it’s like three o’clock in the morning, ‘Jordan, let me ride you the rest of the way home!’ Because riding on the back of someone’s wheel and just grabbing someone by the waist and biking along was common practice. And he said, ‘Brendan, no, no.’
So, if I’m reading this correctly, Peele is Roy in this scenario and Hunt is Jamie. However, it’s not noted if the director knew how to ride a bike or not, he just seemed cautious about riding with Ted Lasso’s co-creator.
The caution turned out to be warranted too, as the Coach Beard actor continued his story with the following:
‘Jordan. Jordan, let me take you home. Come on. Jordan Peele, I insist you get on my bike right now!’ And he did. And I remember it clear as day. ‘Okay, you good? You good? Okay. Woo.’ (At this point, Hunt falls over in his chair to demonstrate how he almost took out one of America’s foremost auteurs one night in Amsterdam some time ago.)...And Jordan landed on his back and we both died laughing admitting defeat, I just got back on my bike and biked away. ‘See you tomorrow, buddy!’
This kind of chaos certainly matches that of the bike scene in Ted Lasso. However, it sounds like no one was teaching anyone how to ride a bike here and there was no yelling “For grandad!!”
The spontaneity of the activity, the chaos of it, the crash and the setting all match though. And I think it’s wonderful that Jordan Peele, the director of masterworks like Get Out and Nope as well as one-half of Key & Peele, helped inspire one of my favorite moments in one of Apple TV+’s best shows. Talk about a hilarious and very random collision of worlds.
Due to the hilarious Ted Lasso lines in that scene and the remarkable chemistry between acting besties Phil Dunster and Brett Goldstein, I think about this Roy and Jamie moment frequently. However, knowing the story behind it makes it even more memorable.
So, I guess we all need to say thank you to Jordan Peele for helping inspire this brilliant Ted Lasso moment. Every time I re-watch the show with an Apple TV+ subscription, I look forward to this turning point in Jamie and Roy’s relationship and all the bike shenanigans. Now, I love it even more because I know two artists I admire went through something similar in real life.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
