When I think about Jamie Tartt’s funniest lines in Ted Lasso, I immediately read them in that iconic Mancunian accent Phil Dunster puts on for the character. However, that wasn’t always the plan, initially AFC Richmond’s diva star player was supposed to be totally different. However, as I learned from reading Jeremy Egner’s book Believe and speaking to the author about it, there’s a wild story behind how the character of Jamie evolved and how Dunster ended up landing the part.
Believe features tons of stories about the Ted Lasso cast’s auditions, and while they’re all interesting, Phil Dunster’s stands out. This is something Jeremy Egner told me as well when I asked him which casting story surprised him the most. He began by recalling the story told in the book, noting that originally Jamie was supposed to be South American.
In fact, in the book, he wrote:
With his chiseled good looks, athletic physique, sporty chic wardrobe, and vaguely ridiculous hair, Phil Dunster as Jamie is the platonic ideal of a cocky English footballer. But originally the creators had something completely different in mind for Richmond’s preeminent prima donna, envisioning the character as a flashy Latin American player. Dunster, however, convinced them to go in a different direction.
That “Latin American player” was named Dani Rojas – who ended up being a totally different character played by Cristo Fernández. However, before they could get there, they needed to find their Jamie. And they kept coming back around to Phil Dunster – who ultimately got an Emmy nomination for his work as the footballer.
In the book, Dunster explained that after auditioning with a Spanish accent, he was asked to pick a different one that wasn’t his own that represented footballers from the UK. Ultimately, he went with the Manchester accent, which really sealed the deal. (I mean would lines like “Coach I’m me” and “It’s just poop-eh” work so well if he didn’t have the accent?)
The director of Ted Lasso’s pilot, Tom Marshall, told Egner why he believed that too, explaining:
I remember Phil Dunster’s audition very clearly. I can’t think of what was scripted, but put it this way: We auditioned a guy who did an Italian accent. And then Phil came in, and Phil was the one was says, ‘So I’ve sort of been trying it in a Manchester accent.’ And I remember talking afterward to Bill [Lawrence] and Jason [Sudeikis], like ‘That was so bang on.’ It has such great connotations: Oasis; there’s a whole music scene from Manchester, the Manchester scene, that is basically about being cocky and being from Manchester. So, you know, Jamie Tartt with that accent completely aligned for me.
During my interview with the author, he cited this specific story from Marshall and all the Mancunian influences he was thinking about. Not only is the accent great, but it also fits the cocky energy they wanted for Jamie – thanks to the aforementioned influences.
Egner found the connections surprising and interesting, and it added to how he understood player, as he told me:
It’s funny, the connections that make you understand that somebody is right for a role are kind of interesting. And that was just sort of a good example of that.
Overall, as a massive fan of Ted Lasso, understanding how they crafted the show is fascinating to me. Plus, Jamie’s story is especially interesting, because my opinion of Phil Dunster’s character changed so much over the course of the show. The guy owned the role, and I don’t think you could have this series without him. So, to know that this story started with Jamie Tartt being Dani Rojas is truly wild!
However, through a long process and Phil Dunster trying out a new accent, we got this magnificent character and fantastic BTS story.
To go back and see this actor in the show, you can stream Ted Lasso with an Apple TV+ subscription. If you want more cool behind-the-scenes stories, you can buy Believe on Amazon or wherever you get your books.