Ted Lasso Actor Phil Dunster Credits School for Acting Genesis

Phil Dunster, a star of Ted Lasso, has articulated how his passion for acting initially blossomed during his school years. Dunster, who portrays the Mancunian footballer Jamie Tartt, revealed that he first recognized the impact of drama as a teenager while attending Leighton Park School in Reading. He informed BBC Radio Berkshire that he experienced a “special moment” during a performance of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood and found inspiration in two of his drama teachers. Dunster has embodied Tartt, AFC Richmond’s prominent striker, for three seasons in the Apple TV+ series and might return for a potential fourth season. The 32-year-old Dunster indicated that he began to take acting seriously at the age of 16 or 17, influenced by teachers Geraint Thomas and Damon Young. He explained, “It’s a Quaker school so we are allowed to use their first names, don’t worry!” He continued, “There was this space where suddenly we had a voice there and we had space to play. I think it was really doing Under Milk Wood at school with Geraint.” Dunster added, “I think, in a highfalutin mindset, I sat there and watched our assembly hall, for want of a better phrase, turn into this fishing village in rural Wales. And I had a special moment to go ‘wow, this is a powerful thing’.” Dunster stated that he committed to a career in acting after abandoning an earlier plan to join the Army, subsequently enrolling at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Regarding his admission to the theatre school, he commented, “I don’t know how I got into [the theatre school]. I really genuinely don’t know. Somehow they were foolish enough to let me in.” For his audition for the comedy-drama, Dunster adopted Tartt’s Mancunian accent. He recounted, “It was a funny one really, because originally I thought they wanted to have a European footballer and they wanted us to do a Spanish accent.” He further noted, “But they liked the cut of my jib and they asked me to come back with a different accent from my own.” He mentioned that he based the accent on a friend’s and also because his fiancée’s family hails from Manchester. Dunster indicated that it is currently uncertain whether he will reprise the character, as the script for the fourth season has not yet been written. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.