Hannah Waddingham Praises Ted Lasso Costar and ‘Greatest Champion’ Jason Sudeikis: ‘Big Kiss to Him’ (Exclusive)

Hannah Waddingham reveals how she got her former co-star and friend Jason Sudeikis to spread some Christmas cheer in her festive special.

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE about their holiday special, Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmasthe Ted Lasso star, 49, shared why it was important to her to include her Emmy-winning co-star at the ceremony.

“I had to include him in the special. He’s been my biggest champion in recent years, I mean, look what happened to Thundergong!” she said in this week’s PEOPLE at 10, referring to Sudeikis’ annual charity event. “He invited me to come in and do it with him.”

Hannah Waddingham and Jason Sudeikis.

Dave Bennett/Getty

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“We’re great friends and we totally celebrate each other. So I kept nagging him. I said, ‘Darling, I have to take you in,’ so it’s a thank you and a big kiss to him,” she added. .

IN Hannah Waddingham: Home for ChristmasSudeikis, 48, takes on the role of a taxi driver who picks Waddingham up from her home before the two duet on “Jingle Bells.”

Describing the holiday celebration as “traditional and beautiful,” Waddingham told PEOPLE that the special was “something that’s been simmering, certainly in my heart for decades.”

When it came time to find him a “natural home”, The Sexual education star couldn’t find a better place than Apple TV+ Ted Lasso.

Hannah Waddingham and Jason Sudeikis.

Mike Marsland/WireImage; Kayla Oaddams/WireImage

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While some fans may have been shocked by the revelation of Waddingham’s musical range, the actress’ others Ted Lasso Costar Brett Goldstein has long supported her musical theater performances.

“He stood in front of me at the first screening we had and said, ‘I’m your biggest fan. I’ve literally seen everything you’ve done in the theater for the last 20 years!'” she recalled. “So that was wonderful.”

Residue Ted Lasso The cast eventually discovered her incredible musical ability and encouraged her to play on the show.

“I love the fact that that Jason leaned so much on it,” she said of Sudeikis’ support of her talents, before adding, “Brendan [Hunt] is also a great musical theater host, which is why I ended up singing in the show, those guys wanted me to sing.”

Hannah Waddingham, Jamie Tartt and Phil Dunster star in ‘Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas’.

Apple TV+

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In addition to Sudeikis, Phil Dunster also appeared on the Christmas special and sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, along with The Fabulous Lounge Swingers duo of Scott Baker and Patrick Davey.

Recorded live at The Coliseum in London, the hour-long special and accompanying album sees Waddingham “ringing in the season with musical renditions of beloved Christmas classics” as she “shares her personal journey to this magical moment with anecdotes and recollections of her own holiday experiences.” , says the press release.

Dunster exclusively told PEOPLE in November, “Hannah is the queen of Christmas now, and to be a small part of her extravaganza is nothing short of a Christmas miracle.”

Besides that Ted Lasso‘s dynamite duo and the Fabulous Lounge Swingers, the special also features Luke Evans, Leslie Odom Jr., Eurovision star Sam Ryder and more in performances accompanied by English National Opera, the London Gay Men’s Chorus and an 18-piece band.

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Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas and Ted Lasso can be streamed on Apple TV+.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education