Yahoo News ‘Ted Lasso’ Introduces New “Lunatic” Soccer Star Played by Maximilian Osinski
There’s a new star on the pitch. The third episode of Ted Lasso’s third season introduced a soccer player so famous he goes by a one-word moniker — Zava.
Played by Agents of SHIELD star Maximilian Osinski, Zava will have more screen time as the season unfolds, and the actor is still pinching himself. “I couldn’t believe it at first,” says Osinski, who is married to actress Dichen Lachman, featured on another Apple TV+ hit, Severance. “You watch a show for two years as a fan and never imagine that one day you’ll be in a scene standing opposite Jason Sudeikis.”
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Co-creator Brendan Hunt, an executive producer who also plays Coach Beard, says Zava was inspired by some of the sport’s “more colorful divas” including “a lot” of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. “Zlatan is among the most unique of that breed of God-gifted lunatic.”
The Swedish superstar, who now plays for A.C. Milan, once played for the L.A. Galaxy, and when his move from Manchester United to the West Coast was announced, Ibrahimovic took out a full-page ad in the L.A. Times that read: “Dear Los Angeles, You’re welcome.”
Osinski said that while prepping to play Zava, he watched a lot of interviews with Ibrahimovic and other soccer characters like Eric Cantona. “I also read tons of books to help me understand what these players are like at all times, from the field to the locker room. Why are they that way? How are they perceived and how do they let the press perceive them?”
Speaking of press, much has been written about whether this is the end of the road for the Ted Lasso team as Sudeikis has repeatedly said that season three marks the end of the story they wanted to tell.
“I hope that whatever is best for the show will happen. I think Jason knows in his heart the story he wants to tell and so I leave that up to him,” Osinski says. “He’s incredible. He is like everyone else on the show in that they are all exactly what the show preaches — kind, welcoming, positive. They all want to make you better and they won’t let you fail. He’s fantastic. I’ve never worked with anyone like that who is just really interested in the work. No one is resting on their laurels and they work hard to find the comedy or the drama in every scene. I did a big trust fall with them and the character [of Zava].”
This story first appeared in the March 29 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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