Nick Mohammed 'thrilled' to be Ted Lasso villain but warns of 'emotional' season
Everybody loves a bad boy, even comedian Nick Mohammed who has captivated audiences as Nathan on smash hit comedy drama Ted Lasso.
Starting off as the unassuming kit man for Richmond's football team, the character has steadily developed into a surprising villain to thwart Jason Sudeikis' titular character.
As season three airs on Apple TV, Nick Mohammed is going on tour as his much loved comedy character Mr Swallow for the next few months.
However, Nick still shared some Ted Lasso secrets with The Mirror - including how "thrilled" he is to finally get to play a villain after years in the business.
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Nick has been starring side by side with Jason Sudeikis on Ted Lasso
"It's quite new, as in I've never really played a villain before so it's new and thrilling," the 42-year-old star said.
"Social media does its thing but it's correct that people should be screaming at the telly."
Relishing at the opportunity, Nick is not afraid to break out of his typical roles, which he describes as "slightly socially awkward" such as Mr Swallow and is embracing being the bad guy wholeheartedly.
He said: "I feel like it's been a real challenge. As I say, it's thrilling but it's a real challenge and a delight as an actor, especially in a supporting role, to kind of go on such a journey with the character.
"To start off as one thing and sort of end up as another and that has been really fun."
Before his role on Ted Lasso, Nick has made appearances on comedy shows like 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Drifters and Sorry, I've Got No Head. He is set to appear in Disney + series The Ballad Of Renegade Nell as well as lending his voice to Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget this year.
This departure from his usual comedy comfort zone hasn't been without challenges as Nick said he took "a lot of coaching" for Nathan's arc.
"It's certainly not an area of acting I've explored before," Nick explained. "I guess a lot of the time it's been purely comic and the Nathan stuff was comic but actually season three coming up, a lot of the comedic beats are replaced with emotional storylines and dramatic stuff.
Nick Mohammed is ready to unleash his character Mr Swallow on tour (Matt Crockett)"So that has been a change and I've had sort of adapt to that. But what a show the writing is just so quality and I owe so much to it - it's been a delight."
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Ted Lasso follows an American football coach who ill-advisedly takes up a job as a football coach in England, despite not knowing much about the UK version of the sport - which is called soccer in the US.
It has been an instant hit for streaming service Apple TV with the cast winning the SAG award for an ensemble in a comedy and Nick himself being nominated for two Primetime Emmy awards for outstanding supporting actor.
And according to Nick, although Nathan might have started out as a "bumbling mumbling" kit man, there were signs of his dark side right from the start.
The actor said: "We did try and drip feed little nuggets in season one, that this dark turn was was coming and then obviously, that played out throughout the latter half of season two and now into season three where he's very much established as the villain of the show."
While the show is mainly a comedy series, Nick believes he's been able to create "something a bit more nuanced" as the show developed. For season three he wished fans "good luck with that emotional rollercoaster".
Nick teased: "I can't really talk about it, but the way this season ends was incredibly emotional. We filmed some of the last scenes on that last day of filming and it was a really emotional day."
Tickets for Nick Mohammed presents The Very Best & Worst of Mr. Swallow are available to purchase now from Berk's Nest.
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