Brendan Hunt on Coach Beard, Party Pants, and 'Ted Lasso'
Brendan Hunt has got it going on. Of course, if you’ve seen Ted Lasso, then you already know this. And if you haven’t seen it, then bookmark this tab, turn on Apple TV, and continue reading this once you’ve pulled your head out of your arse and have finished at least five episodes. Actually, make that ten.
Hunt, known for his portrayal of the gruffly comical Coach Beard, has one of the most underrated fashion senses ever to step out of the Midwest. The day before the Season Three premiere of Ted Lasso in Los Angeles, I caught up with Hunt over Zoom to make this fact wider known.
“It’s kind of got disco vibes,” Hunt says of the “coppery, mustardy” Viggo London suit he’s pairing with a John Elliott shirt and Gucci sneakers. “It was the first thing I tried on.”
Would Coach Beard approve?
“We’ve both spent a lot of time in Europe, and a bit of time in Europe really shakes off the Midwestern timidity, apparel-wise,” Hunt explains. “When I lived in Amsterdam, I started going to thrift shops properly and just wearing ridiculous things, which now have become slightly more refined, Beard is the same way. I mean he's gonna show up for work in the same wrap around Oakleys every damn day, but when it's nighttime, then Beard comes out.”
As Hunt and I continue to chat, the combination of nonchalant charm and quick wit very closely resembles that of his character. It’s been a long day of press junkets, and he reclines in his Los Angeles hotel room, gamely answering all of the niche life and fashion questions that come his way. From party pants to co-star Jason Sudeikis’s style to tags to Season Three, we cover more ground than a midfielder does in 90 minutes. You may not hear Coach Beard say a whole lot on the show, but Hunt says enough for both of them. It’s the halftime speech you won’t want to miss.
On Party Pants
You know, there's not a night that should ever be wasted. But also specifically to Beard’s pants, they are very much in the vein of pants—multiple pairs of pants—that I had in Amsterdam and would wear out to the occasional boogie. Low stripe flares, they have a ways to go.
On Beard’s Style Evolution
[His style evolution in Season Three] is a kind-of-hit-the-nail-on-the-head question that I cannot give away. But we might see some small new things. There's a minor evolution that we do with his hats. When he shows up he’s wearing that KC Sines hat, which he still comes back to every now and again, but ever since Jane gave him the flat cap, he wears the flat cap almost all the time. And he’s not wearing hoodies as much anymore…. He's wearing more British-looking stuff—certainly more British stuff than Ted is because [Beard] is immersing himself in his world a bit more than Ted. It's subtle, but it’s there.
On Jason Sudeikis
Jason is a very worldly cat, but he still loves a hoodie and a bucket hat. And he can rock a hoodie and a bucket hat. He's kind of got me back into hoodies, but not bucket hats. He'll show up to work in a hoodie, bucket hat, and cargo shorts. I’ve worn slacks and a flower print dress shirt that day for no damn reason—all we're gonna do is sit in a room and type all day. So [Jason’s] much more casual, but when it's time to dress up, my man throws down.
On Midwest Style
Gosh, I don't know. It depends on what you're talking about, like what part of the Midwest. Peoria probably dresses a bit like, I don’t know, Leeds, while Chicago dresses more like London. You know, it's the Midwest. The Midwest is no monolith; it contains multitudes. In Chicago, you get as funky as you want. And of course, there are going to be funky people in Peoria, too.
On Leather Jackets
For my birthday last year, my partner took me to Varvatos for a minor spree and I got this leather jacket that is the most expensive jacket I've ever owned. It's very similar to a jacket I bought in Amsterdam for probably 10 euros. But it's not old and beat up. It's new and fresh and, like, the stitches are solid. The lining is cool. But yeah, I have this new leather jacket now that I'm wearing in every weather. I love it. The collar goes up and down. It's very new, but it's still a bit '70s, and I really dig it.
On the Beard
The beard is a ready, steady, complementing force [to Ted’s mustache]. Four or five drops of beard oil. And then [I use] a brush that my wonderful makeup person, Ms. Nikki Springall, gave me in Season One. She was brushing me with this brush all season, and at the end of the season, she was like, “This is now your brush.” I was so touched… In the early days of having this beard, I was kissing someone and then that person was like, “I need a break because like you're exfoliating my face.” And that's when I learned about beard oil and never turned back.
A Quick Rant
Hey, people, let's stop leaving the tags on stuff. Tags on shoes, tags on hats—come on. What are we doing here? It's dumb. Respect your head. If your hat is good enough to have bought it, then take the tag off. You don't leave the tag on the Mona Lisa either. Let's move on from this. Like the gold foil sticker on ball caps under the brim. What are we doing, people!
On Season Three
Fatherhood, motherhood, and pints.
And Finally, a Style Lesson for His Son
At some point in your life, my son—it might not be in high school, it might not be in college, it might not be till you're 30—but at some point, you may become cognizant of the positive effects you can have on your reception, when you put a little bit of thought into what you're wearing. That reception is worth acquiring if you don't have to go through too much trouble, and it doesn't have to cost a lot of money to do it. Once you make that effort, stay down that road, because that's where you want to be.
Styling by Madeleine Kennedy
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