Moe Jeudy-Lamour chats about his role as goalkeeper Thierry Zoreaux on the Apple TV+ sports comedy Ted Lasso, starring Jason Sudeikis.
Read on below for Moe’s full interview with Courageous Nerd where he discusses his background in acting, knowledge of football/soccer and much more.
Welcome Moe and thank you for taking the time to speak with us.
Moe Jeudy-Lamour (MJL): Oh, thanks for having me, man.
Fans of the sports comedy series Ted Lasso may recognise you as Thierry Zoreaux. How did your journey into acting first start?
MJL: It first started when a lot of people were telling me it was impossible to become an actor. I took that in and was like, “Okay, cool. I’ll still try. That’s when I met Orlando Jones where I used to work, at a Best Buy. He was like, “Oh, if that’s what you want to do, you’ve got to just go and get it.” He was telling me about Vancouver, it was supposed to be super busy. I went there and started auditioning, it was fun.
Then, moved back to Montreal and started auditioning there. I booked X-Men [Days of Future Past] and next thing I know, I’m standing beside Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart. That’s when I realised, I was like, “How is that impossible? I’m having a conversation with Hugh Jackman right now.” I just really put my head down and kept going and going. Moved to LA four years ago and it’s been this journey since.
For anyone who may be unfamiliar, what is Ted Lasso about?
MJL: The funny thing was, I think it’s when NBC signed the contract to have the Premier League on their channel. So, I saw the commercials and was like, “Yo, this is so funny.” I don’t remember if I knew Jason [Sudeikis] then. I’ve known Jason for, like, eight years now. We did a movie together in Montreal. Then, I saw him again in LA and then we did the show. I remember watching that and was like, “Dude, this is hilarious.” When I saw him again in Los Angeles, he was like, “So, we’re going forward with the show. It’s going to be done.”
I was like, “The commercial you did way back? Dude, that’s going to be amazing.” I thought the commercials were hilarious and used to watch them just like that. It’s amazing, you can tell it’s the same idea but you can kind of tell it’s not the same character, which is so cool. That’s where you can tell he’s a genius too.
As your character Thierry is a goalkeeper, could you talk about how he comes into the show and the role he plays?
MJL: Thierry comes from a team in Canada and there was an injury that happened on Richmond’s team – the goalkeeper that was the starter, his name was Thomas O’Brien. He got injured so they took Thierry Zoreaux into the team and that’s how he shows up.
Soccer/football is a central focus of Ted Lasso. Before booking your role in the series, how familiar were you with the game and did you support a team?
MJL: Honestly, as a kid, I only watched the NFL. I played American Football as a kid. Then, when I was going to do this part, I had to really… the thing that saved me is that Jason plays FIFA a lot. So, me and Jason played FIFA a lot. I learned about the teams, positions, stuff like that. Then, when I was like, “Okay, I’m going to be the goalkeeper”, I started looking at some goalkeepers. To this day, the team I play with is PSG. It’s kind of like a cheat code, because the team is so stacked. Jason plays with Man City, we played PSG vs Man City a lot.
Since joining the show, how have you found working with world-renowned talent such as Jason Sudeikis, Juno Temple, Hannah Waddingham and Nick Mohammed?
MJL: Not even just talent. At that point, everybody’s just really, really good. Then, it’s just like how amazing the people are. I always like to use this example, but someone like Phil Dunster, who plays Jamie Tartt. He is one of the loveliest human beings you will ever meet. You can hang out with him and not even make the correlation that that guy plays Jamie Tartt. He’s such a lovely person. That goes to show, “Okay, great. He’s a great actor, that’s facts.” I’m pretty sure he’s going to go super far and win a bunch of awards. As a human being, there are no awards for that. He’s definitely one of the best people I know. Toheeb Jimo [who plays Sam Obisanya] also, he’s amazing, I love him.
Yeah, of course, for example, Hannah [Waddingham]. All those people are such great people. That goes into casting, it was Theo Park and Olissa Rogers who did that. The casting was so well done. It’s also Jason, you know, who definitely had a part in it. It’s just so crazy to be surrounded by those people who are such great people.
Perhaps somewhat uniquely for a television series, Ted Lasso originated from a series of commercials. Would you say not starting from scratch has affected the show at all?
MJL: Well, yeah. That’s the thing with Jason, he knows… because he’s also one of the writers on the show – he knows exactly what’s going to happen throughout the season. Throughout every season. He knows what’s going to happen and has it mapped out. When we get on set, we’re just having fun at that point.
Your character Thierry is a goalkeeper. Did you study any famous players while in preparation to play the role?
MJL: Because my character is from Montreal and I’m also from Montreal, I made it so he’s more like Patrick Roy, who is a goaltender in hockey. He’s one of the best goaltenders for a long time. You can get so lonely as a goalkeeper. Everybody’s far from you. You start talking to yourself and stuff like that, something that Patrick Roy used to do. I’d say Keylor Navas from PSGis my favourite [goalkeeper], but that’s also because he’s from that team.
Whether creatively or physically, how much of a learning experience has your time on Ted Lasso been?
MJL: It’s been a lovely experience. I live in Los Angeles, so for me to go to London and film for six months, such a blast. I learned a new culture, I have new friends, I hang out with friends on the set every day. Super fun. You learn a new skill, you know? It’s really, really cool.
As Thierry is a recurring character, one would assume you have the freedom to do other projects. Is there anything you can discuss at this time?
MJL: I’ve been auditioning a lot, that’s been really, really fun. Apart from that, I’ve been writing also. It’s been fun.
Professionally or personally, what do you hope to accomplish with the rest of 2021?
MJL: I want to finish at least two more screenplays. I have one in the bank so I’d like to finish two more. I’d love to also start really, really training for goalkeeping. So, I’d like to come back for Season 3 and be completely so much better. That would be really good fun.
Thanks again for tkaing the time, Moe. Take care and stay safe!
MJL: Thanks so much man, you too.
