Harris recently spoke about being the actor to help introduce queerness into the storyline and how that mirrors what’s happening in the sport today. “It’s happening a lot in football at the moment with Josh Cavallo, Jakub Jankto and Jake Daniels, they’ve all come out in recent years,” Harris told GAY TIMES. He continued:
“I’ve been in tune with that, knowing how the sport is trying to support and give solidarity [to LGBTQ+ players] with Harry Kane [being outspoken] and when the World Cup was over in Qatar. It’s everywhere at the moment in terms of awareness. Taking that into consideration, that’s how I’ve prepared for it.”
When speaking about star footballer, Harry Kane, Harris is referring to the England football captain’s decision to wear a OneLove armband during the matches played at the World Cup in Qatar, where it is illegal to identify as LGBTQ+.
While there is growing support, Harris also touched on how there are still some players that are still not ready to combine their professional and personal lives. “It’s very real and, with Colin, you’re allowed to see the person and not just the player,” he said. Harris also talked about where Colin is at during the recently released sixth episode. “What’s really quite heartbreaking is, in episode six, he talks about living two lives and that he doesn’t feel like he can merge the two.”
Fans of the show and fans of the sport certainly have a lot of crossover, and Harris is hopeful that character development like Colin’s will help lead to more acceptance. “That is what we want the audience to consider when watching ‘Ted Lasso’ and if they’re a fan of sport, to consider that there are footballers that are living two lives.”
