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# Lessons from Brett Goldstein
- URL: https://www.antoinebuteau.com/lessons-from-brett-goldstein/
- Published: 2026-06-30T17:10:12.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-18T21:44:55.000Z
- Description: Brett Goldstein, an actor, comedian, and writer known for Roy Kent on Ted Lasso, built his career through scripts and London stand-up while using favorite movies and questions about death to probe writing, comedy, and emotion.
- Author: Antoine Buteau
- Tags: Profile, Business Leaders & Executives Profiles

![Visual summary of operating lessons from Brett Goldstein.](https://www.antoinebuteau.com/content/images/2026/06/lessons-from-brett-goldstein-profile-infographic.webp)

## Lessons from Brett Goldstein

Brett Goldstein is an actor, comedian, and writer best known for playing Roy Kent on *Ted Lasso* and asking podcast guests to discuss death through their favorite movies. He built his career writing scripts and performing stand-up in London comedy clubs. This profile gathers his direct thoughts on writing, comedy, and emotion.

### Part 1: Comedy and Stand-up

1. **On shared depravity:** "If you laugh, either I'm not insane and we all feel this way or I am insane, but it's okay, you're still going to accept me amongst the human community." — [*Source: \[Interview Magazine*](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/brett-goldstein-and-phil-dunster-talk-ted-lasso-and-authorial-intent?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On the purpose of stand-up:** "Stand-up is a way to share a worldview that is simultaneously funny, embarrassing, awful, tragic, and depressing." — [*Source: \[Mo Welch YouTube Channel*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYI2yK85Ucw&ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On audience connection:** "Doing material you have written allows you to cultivate a specific shared intimacy with the crowd that acting in someone else's script does not always provide." — [*Source: \[Late Night with Seth Meyers*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T%5F8N%5FM%5FY6%5FI&ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On British versus American humor:** "British humor is often rooted in failure and status anxiety, whereas American comedy has more room for optimism and directness." — [*Source: \[Fly on the Wall Podcast*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fly-on-the-wall-with-dana-carvey-and-david-spade/id1603639502?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On starting in London clubs:** "The grimy open mics of London teach you how to fail quietly and how to hold a room that actively dislikes you." — [*Source: \[The Drawing Room*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV%5FX1oK%5F7oA&ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On returning to the stage:** "After Ted Lasso, returning to the stage meant dealing with an audience that expected Roy Kent, forcing me to re-establish my own comedic voice." — [*Source: \[Good One Podcast*](https://www.vulture.com/article/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-good-one-podcast.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On masculinity in comedy:** "Exploring themes like sex and masculinity requires leaning into the embarrassment of how much men do not know what they are doing." — [*Source: \[HBO The Second Best Night of Your Life*](https://www.max.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On his comedic persona:** "My name is Brett Goldstein, I am a comedian, an actor, a writer, a director, a candlestick maker... a swimmer, a plumber." — [*Source: \[Films to Be Buried With*](https://play.acast.com/s/filmstobeburiedwith?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On bombing:** "You have to bomb to understand the mechanics of a joke; a joke is not finished until it has failed in front of a live audience." — [*Source: \[Awards Radar*](https://awardsradar.com/2021/08/13/interview-brett-goldstein-ted-lasso/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
10. **On creative persistence:** "The entertainment business is mostly a game of surviving rejection long enough to get lucky once." — [*Source: \[The Drawing Room*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV%5FX1oK%5F7oA&ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 2: Ted Lasso and Roy Kent

1. **On pitching himself as Roy Kent:** "I recorded a self-tape in my kitchen and emailed it to the producers with a note saying, 'If this is shit, pretend you never received it.'" — [*Source: \[Jimmy Kimmel Live*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J%5F7%5FO%5FV%5FW%5FE&ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On Roy Kent's voice:** "It’s a manifestation of the fact that he is covering feelings that he cannot let out. He has to keep his voice almost like a cork and hold everything down." — [*Source: \[Reddit AMA*](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/p0z%5Fbrett%5Fgoldstein%5Froy%5Fkent%5Fted%5Flasso/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On emotional suppression:** "If Roy Kent let his feelings out, he would be a total wreck; the anger is a lid on deep sadness and insecurity." — [*Source: \[Brené Brown Podcast*](https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-brett-goldstein-on-ted-lasso-comedy-and-the-best-day-of-your-life/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On the CGI conspiracy:** "I found it genuinely hilarious when the internet became convinced Roy Kent was a computer-generated character." — [*Source: \[Jimmy Kimmel Live*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J%5F7%5FO%5FV%5FW%5FE&ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On fan interactions:** "Ted Lasso fans love to tell Brett Goldstein to f\* *k off." —* [Source: \[The Tonight Show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M%5FT%5FO%5FV%5FW%5FE&ref=antoinebuteau.com)\]\*
6. **On athletic retirement:** "Athletes face a unique death when they have to retire in their thirties; Roy's anger comes from losing the only identity he ever had." — [*Source: \[Collider*](https://collider.com/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2-interview/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On playing Roy forever:** "I would happily play Roy Kent for the rest of my life if I were allowed to." — [*Source: \[The Late Show with Stephen Colbert*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K%5F7%5FO%5FV%5FW%5FE&ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On the transition to coaching:** "Roy coaching is about him realizing his value lies in his understanding of the game and the people playing it, rather than his physical ability." — [*Source: \[Coup De Main Magazine*](https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/brett-goldstein/17855?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On the character's baseline:** "Tell the truth: He’s fine. That’s it. Nothing wrong with that, most people are fine." — [*Source: \[Coup De Main Magazine*](https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/brett-goldstein/17855?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 3: The Craft of Writing

1. **On being in the writers' room:** "Writing on Ted Lasso meant figuring out the emotional truth of a scene before finding the jokes." — [*Source: \[The Hollywood Reporter*](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/ted-lasso-brett-goldstein-roy-kent-1234990000/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On authorial intent:** "You can write a line with a specific intention, but an actor might deliver it in a way that changes the meaning entirely, and you have to be open to that." — [*Source: \[Interview Magazine*](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/brett-goldstein-and-phil-dunster-talk-ted-lasso-and-authorial-intent?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On creating Shrinking:** "The goal was to explore grief in a way that acknowledges how messy and frequently hilarious people are when they are in pain." — [*Source: \[Variety*](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/brett-goldstein-shrinking-ted-lasso-1235500000/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On collaboration:** "Writing is a team sport; the best ideas usually come from someone else fixing a bad idea you threw out there to break the silence." — [*Source: \[Esquire*](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a37300000/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2-interview/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On writing romance:** "Writing Soulmates allowed me to look at how technology intersects with the fundamental human anxiety of wondering if we chose the right partner." — [*Source: \[NPR*](https://www.npr.org/2020/10/05/920000000/brett-goldstein-soulmates?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On script structure:** "Every character needs a specific flaw that they are actively trying to hide from the rest of the cast." — [*Source: \[Good One Podcast*](https://www.vulture.com/article/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-good-one-podcast.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On editing:** "Writing is mostly cutting; if a joke does not advance the plot or reveal character, it has to go, no matter how funny it is." — [*Source: \[Vulture*](https://www.vulture.com/2021/08/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On finding the tone:** "A show has to earn its emotional moments; you cannot drop drama into a comedy without doing the character work first." — [*Source: \[Collider*](https://collider.com/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2-interview/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On finishing a script:** "A script is never really finished; it gets taken away from you when it is time to start shooting." — [*Source: \[Awards Radar*](https://awardsradar.com/2021/08/13/interview-brett-goldstein-ted-lasso/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 4: Cinema and "Films to Be Buried With"

1. **On the premise of his podcast:** "Telling guests they have died strips away pretense and allows them to talk about their lives without the standard press-tour filter." — [*Source: \[Podcast Review*](https://podcastreview.org/review/films-to-be-buried-with/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On movies as identity:** "The films we love act as emotional markers; they tell us more about who we were when we watched them than about the films themselves." — [*Source: \[Global Player*](https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KqQc/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On horror films:** "People who love horror often do so because it allows them to experience anxiety in a controlled environment where the threat eventually ends." — [*Source: \[Wave*](https://wave.co/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On the film that makes you cry:** "Asking someone what movie makes them cry is a shortcut to figuring out what their core emotional wound is." — [*Source: \[Mashable*](https://mashable.com/article/brett-goldstein-films-to-be-buried-with?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On objective quality versus subjective love:** "You can acknowledge that a film is technically terrible while still arguing it is the most important movie in your life." — [*Source: \[Pod Bible Mag*](https://podbiblemag.com/films-to-be-buried-with/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On rewatching movies:** "We rewatch movies not for the plot, but for the comfort of knowing exactly how we are going to feel for the next two hours." — [*Source: \[Clandestine Critic*](https://clandestinecritic.co.uk/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On the afterlife:** "Framing the podcast around death makes conversations about cinema inherently philosophical." — [*Source: \[The Young Folks*](https://theyoungfolks.com/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On the Muppets:** "I consider The Muppet Christmas Carol to be a perfect piece of cinema that operates on multiple levels of genius." — [*Source: \[Films to Be Buried With*](https://play.acast.com/s/filmstobeburiedwith?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On comedy in film:** "A comedy film that does not hold up on a second viewing was not actually a good movie; it was a collection of surprises." — [*Source: \[iHeart*](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/films-to-be-buried-with/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
10. **On the one film to take to heaven:** "The final choice guests make usually reflects how they want to feel for eternity, not what they think is the best film." — [*Source: \[Apple Podcasts*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/films-to-be-buried-with-with-brett-goldstein/id1408584700?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 5: Vulnerability and Emotion

1. **On showing vulnerability:** "It’s hard to let people see you vulnerable; I fxxxing hate it. But that’s the great part of life and love and relationships." — [*Source: \[The Mary Sue*](https://www.themarysue.com/brett-goldstein-roy-kent-vulnerability/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On male anger:** "Anger is often the easiest, most socially acceptable way for men to express sadness or fear." — [*Source: \[Brené Brown Podcast*](https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-brett-goldstein-on-ted-lasso-comedy-and-the-best-day-of-your-life/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On grief:** "You do not move on from grief; you just learn to carry it around in a different pocket." — [*Source: \[Variety*](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/brett-goldstein-shrinking-ted-lasso-1235500000/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On crying at art:** "Crying at art is a safe way to process the emotions you are too afraid to deal with in your actual life." — [*Source: \[Mashable*](https://mashable.com/article/brett-goldstein-films-to-be-buried-with?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On self-worth:** "The hardest thing for many people to accept is that they are deserving of love exactly as they are, without having to achieve anything first." — [*Source: \[GQ*](https://www.gq.com/story/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On therapy:** "Going to therapy is essentially learning how to be a better writer of your own internal monologue." — [*Source: \[Films to Be Buried With*](https://play.acast.com/s/filmstobeburiedwith?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On fear of failure:** "The fear never goes away, but you eventually realize that failing will not actually kill you." — [*Source: \[Interview Magazine*](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/brett-goldstein-and-phil-dunster-talk-ted-lasso-and-authorial-intent?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On holding back:** "Keeping your feelings locked down works in the short term, but it rots you from the inside out over the long term." — [*Source: \[Esquire*](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a37300000/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2-interview/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On empathy:** "True empathy requires suspending your own judgment long enough to figure out why someone else's bad behavior makes sense to them." — [*Source: \[Collider*](https://collider.com/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2-interview/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
10. **On emotional intelligence:** "Understanding your own absurdity is the first step toward forgiving the absurdity of everyone else." — [*Source: \[Films to Be Buried With*](https://play.acast.com/s/filmstobeburiedwith?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 6: Acting and the Creative Process

1. **On separating writing and acting:** "When I am acting, I try to completely forget that I was in the writers' room, trusting the director to guide the scene." — [*Source: \[The Hollywood Reporter*](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/ted-lasso-brett-goldstein-roy-kent-1234990000/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On physical comedy:** "A lot of character work comes down to how a person carries their physical weight; Roy Kent walks like his knees are made of glass." — [*Source: \[Variety*](https://variety.com/2021/tv/awards/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-roy-kent-1235000000/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On auditioning:** "Sending the blind self-tape for Roy Kent was an act of desperation because I knew I would regret it forever if I did not try." — [*Source: \[Jimmy Kimmel Live*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J%5F7%5FO%5FV%5FW%5FE&ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On trusting the script:** "Good acting is often getting out of the way of good writing." — [*Source: \[Vulture*](https://www.vulture.com/2021/08/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On finding the character:** "You find the character in the quiet moments, in how they react to someone else talking, rather than what they are saying themselves." — [*Source: \[Collider*](https://collider.com/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2-interview/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On ensemble casts:** "A cast only works if everyone is willing to pass the ball; if someone is trying to steal the scene, the whole rhythm dies." — [*Source: \[Coup De Main Magazine*](https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/brett-goldstein/17855?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On his Emmy win:** "I’d love to pretend this wasn’t a big deal. But it really was a big fxxxing deal." — [*Source: \[Reddit AMA*](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/p0z%5Fbrett%5Fgoldstein%5Froy%5Fkent%5Fted%5Flasso/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On playing Hercules:** "Stepping into the Marvel Cinematic Universe required a massive physical transformation, but the mental adjustment to the scale of the production was the hardest part." — [*Source: \[Variety*](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/brett-goldstein-hercules-thor-love-and-thunder-1235300000/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On breaking character:** "I struggle to keep a straight face on set when working with comedians who know exactly how to push my specific buttons." — [*Source: \[Good One Podcast*](https://www.vulture.com/article/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-good-one-podcast.html?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 7: Fame, Success, and Industry

1. **On sudden fame:** "Becoming famous in your forties is much better than in your twenties because you already know who you are and you know it is all a bit silly." — [*Source: \[Esquire*](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a37300000/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2-interview/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On being recognized:** "It is strange to go from being completely invisible to having people yell profanities at you across a grocery store out of love." — [*Source: \[The Tonight Show*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M%5FT%5FO%5FV%5FW%5FE&ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On imposter syndrome:** "Even after winning awards, there is a lingering fear that someone is going to tap you on the shoulder and say a mistake was made." — [*Source: \[GQ*](https://www.gq.com/story/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On staying grounded:** "Continuing to do stand-up keeps you honest because the audience does not care what awards you have won if your current joke is not funny." — [*Source: \[Late Night with Seth Meyers*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T%5F8N%5FM%5FY6%5FI&ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On taking meetings:** "Most Hollywood meetings are people agreeing that a project sounds great until someone actually has to pay for it." — [*Source: \[Fly on the Wall Podcast*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fly-on-the-wall-with-dana-carvey-and-david-spade/id1603639502?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On creative control:** "True success in television is getting a show made without having to compromise its central soul." — [*Source: \[The Hollywood Reporter*](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/ted-lasso-brett-goldstein-roy-kent-1234990000/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On the impact of Ted Lasso:** "The show succeeded because it arrived at a time when people were desperate for proof that kindness could be entertaining." — [*Source: \[NPR*](https://www.npr.org/2021/08/13/1020000000/ted-lasso-brett-goldstein?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On dealing with critics:** "You have to ignore both the extreme praise and the extreme criticism, because neither is entirely true." — [*Source: \[Interview Magazine*](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/brett-goldstein-and-phil-dunster-talk-ted-lasso-and-authorial-intent?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On career pacing:** "It takes a very long time to become an overnight success." — [*Source: \[Awards Radar*](https://awardsradar.com/2021/08/13/interview-brett-goldstein-ted-lasso/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*

### Part 8: Philosophy and Worldview

1. **On holding opposing thoughts:** "You have to be able to look at the world and see it as funny, embarrassing, awful, tragic, and depressing all at the exact same time." — [*Source: \[Mo Welch YouTube Channel*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYI2yK85Ucw&ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
2. **On human connection:** "Most of what we do in art and comedy is an attempt to confirm we are not completely alone in our heads." — [*Source: \[Films to Be Buried With*](https://play.acast.com/s/filmstobeburiedwith?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
3. **On aging:** "Getting older is mostly about realizing how little you actually understand, and being okay with that lack of understanding." — [*Source: \[Esquire*](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a37300000/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-season-2-interview/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
4. **On pessimism versus optimism:** "I lean naturally toward pessimism, which makes moments of genuine joy feel earned and surprising." — [*Source: \[Brené Brown Podcast*](https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-brett-goldstein-on-ted-lasso-comedy-and-the-best-day-of-your-life/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
5. **On legacy:** "If you spend your life worrying about how you will be remembered, you will likely forget to actually live it." — [*Source: \[Podcast Review*](https://podcastreview.org/review/films-to-be-buried-with/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
6. **On ordinary lives:** "Most of life happens in the mundane middle ground, not the extreme highs or lows." — [*Source: \[Coup De Main Magazine*](https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/brett-goldstein/17855?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
7. **On absurdity:** "Embracing the absurdity of existence is the only logical response to a universe that does not make any sense." — [*Source: \[Global Player*](https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KqQc/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
8. **On kindness:** "Kindness requires actual effort and energy; it is an active choice you have to make every day, whereas cynicism is lazy." — [*Source: \[Variety*](https://variety.com/2021/tv/awards/brett-goldstein-ted-lasso-roy-kent-1235000000/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*
9. **On the end:** "When it is all over, the only thing that really matters is the way you treated the people who were unlucky enough to know you." — [*Source: \[Films to Be Buried With*](https://play.acast.com/s/filmstobeburiedwith?ref=antoinebuteau.com)*\]*