With an Emmy win and a hit Apple TV+ series under his belt, Jason Sudeikis is having one big year.
The show, of course, is 鈥淭ed Lasso,鈥� where Sudeikis plays an upbeat and good-natured American football coach who takes charge of a professional British soccer team despite knowing little about the game.
The fish-out-of-water comedy has been a welcome escape for many fans dealing with pandemic blues and other stressful events marking the past 15 months. The second season of the series explored the mental health struggles of Sudeikis' character. And its anyone's guess what the third 鈥� reportedly set to begin filming in January 鈥� will bring.
Amid the success, Sudeikis recently returned to his hometown of Kansas City to host Thundergong!, an annual benefit concert for a charity that helps amputees who lack proper health coverage pay for prosthetic limbs.
The event, which will , will raise money for Steps of Faith Foundation. The Kansas City-based organization is headed Billy Brimblecom Jr, a drummer and longtime friend. Sudeikis fundraised to get Brimblecom a prosthetic leg after he was diagnosed by a form of cancer that required him to undergo a leg amputation.
The AP recently talked with the two friends about the concert, Ted Lasso and other things. The interview was edited for clarity and length.
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AP: I read you two met at an improv workshop in Kansas City in 1995. What was that meeting like?
Sudeikis: We did a thing called 鈥淐omedy Sportz,鈥� which still exists in a few cities. Although in Kansas City, it's now called 鈥淐omedy City.鈥� We were doing workshops. I think we auditioned and they liked the cut of our jib. I was a junior. No, I just graduated. Right? Was it the summer of 鈥�94 or 鈥�95?
Brimblecom: It was the summer of 鈥�95. I auditioned in the spring of 鈥�95. I was a senior, and you were at Fort Scott.
Sudeikis: Yeah. We were just doing workshops, like a six-week workshop or something like that. I think we auditioned and they liked the cut of our jib. We hit it off there.
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AP: Billy, many people would argue the work that you do shouldn鈥檛 be dependent on charities, or fundraising. And that we need a bigger overhaul of our healthcare system to address it.
Brimblecom: Oh, how much time we got? The fact that I have this job is ridiculous. The fact something like Steps of Faith needs to exist, and that somebody who has lost a limb is not just covered is injustice.
I always like to say our healthcare system is a misnomer, because there鈥檚 no care there. And the problem is health insurance companies. At Steps of Faith, we don鈥檛 comment on anything controversial unless it directly affects the work we do. So here we go: The health insurance system is completely and totally ridiculous. They don鈥檛 care about you. They don鈥檛 care about me, or Jason, and they don鈥檛 care about the doctors.
AP: What do you think of that, Jason?
Sudeikis: Oh, I 100% agree with him.
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AP: What should people expect to see if they tune into the concert on Saturday?
Brimblecom: They should expect just a really fun show. It's funny and sweet, and it rocks. There鈥檚 great music. This is the most, I think you would agree, Jason, this is the most diverse lineup we鈥檝e had.
Sudeikis: Yeah, it鈥檚 definitely a musical variety benefit concert. We have a bunch of bands and solo artists, but also comedians, like Will Forte, Fred Armisen, and Heidi Gardner, all SNL active and alums. Fred and Will have done it every year. Heidi is from Kansas City.
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AP: Is there a particular amount that you want to raise this year?
Sudeikis: We鈥檙e trying to help 185 people. I went out on a limb and said, I think we could get 200. Billy knows better than me because he鈥檚 actually in it.
Brimblecom: I look at the P&L.
Sudeikis: Yeah, I don鈥檛 even know what P&L means. (laughs)
Brimblecom: It鈥檚 profit and loss. I didn鈥檛 learn it until I had this job.
So this year, Steps of Faith鈥檚 goal is to help 185 amputees, like Jason said, We鈥檙e on track to hit that, and hopefully beat it. Maybe we鈥檒l get to 200. So I will love for this event to raise at least $500,000. It鈥檚 Saturday, 7 p.m. Central time, all across planet earth.
Sudeikis: And beyond. They probably get the internet elsewhere.
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AP: Well, what do you guys think about aliens? That鈥檚 a good question.
Sudeikis: (Laughs) Well, if they鈥檝e got money to give to help us out, we鈥檒l take it.
Brimblecom: Where do you think 鈥榗ryptocurrency鈥� comes from?
Sudeikis: Good point (laughs). We鈥檒l take bitcoin and moon rocks.
Brimblecom: (laughs) We鈥檒l take it all.
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AP: Jason, on 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥�, do you feel pressure to top the prior seasons as you get ready to film the third one?
Sudeikis: It鈥檚 only the pressure that we put on ourselves. We鈥檙e still making it the same way we made the first two. It鈥檚 been nice that people have really responded to the show. And there鈥檚 certainly a great deal of truth in 鈥淢o' Money, Mo' Problems.鈥�
But we try to use that enthusiasm for the show, both as just another crayon in the crayon box and another thing to sort of help us guide our storytelling and where we want to take the characters. But the outside pressure is less than the pressure I think we feel within ourselves. In the same way we felt the first two years.
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AP: Is your character going to come back to the U.S. at any point?
Sudeikis: I don鈥檛 know. Maybe? A 鈥榶es鈥� or a 鈥榥o鈥� would fall into the category of spoilers.
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AP: What are you thinking about season four? Is that a possibility?
Sudeikis: Anything is a possibility. But I sound like an actual coach whenever I answer this. We鈥檙e worried about one season at a time. We鈥檙e in the middle of writing season three, and we can鈥檛 think too far beyond that at this point.
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The Associated Press receives support from the Lilly Endowment for coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP鈥檚 philanthropy coverage, visit .
Haleluya Hadero, The Associated Press
