Young Ted Lasso star almost skipped first audition

Elodie Blomfield, the 15-year-old actress who plays Phoebe in Apple TV's "Ted Lasso," recently shared that she nearly missed her initial audition for the acclaimed comedy series. Blomfield, from Buckinghamshire, was just eight years old when she began portraying Phoebe, the niece of the curmudgeonly midfielder Roy Kent.

The show centers on the fictional Premier League football club AFC Richmond, which hires an American college football coach to lead its struggling team.

Blomfield revealed she had considered skipping the audition in favor of attending a mindfulness class offered at her school. "I hadn't got an acting job at that point, and I thought the chances were very slim," she explained, "but at the last minute I thought, 'You never know,' so I went for it."

Upon returning home from the audition, her brother, who had attended the mindfulness class, showed her a stress ball he had made. Blomfield recalled, laughing, "I remember being so jealous and thinking, 'Oh my gosh, I made the wrong choice. I should have gone to this class.' I was so jealous of this stress ball that he'd made." She added, "It's very funny looking back and thinking about how different my life could have been. I wouldn't have been in Ted Lasso."

During filming, Blomfield developed a close bond with co-star Brett Goldstein, who not only played her on-screen uncle but also wrote several episodes. "He is kind of like an uncle to me," she said. "I've learnt so much about acting from him just by acting with him, and he's so incredible."

Working with Goldstein, whose character is known for his profanity, presented some challenges for the production, especially with an eight-year-old on set. Blomfield remembered, "In the first season they would try and not swear in front of me as much as possible... He would use filler words like 'duck' or something like that." She noted, "My part definitely grew in the second season, so I think they realised I was going to be hearing it anyway and there was nothing they could do about it."

"Ted Lasso" initially concluded after its third season in 2023 but has since been renewed for new episodes in 2025, with many of the original cast members expected to return. Due to the absence of written scripts, it was initially uncertain if Blomfield's character would be included, but she was delighted to eventually receive the call.

"When I heard that I was coming back, I was over the moon; I was so excited just to see everyone again," she shared. "I think we've created such a family, and I was just so excited to be with my favourite people again."