Ted Lasso co-creator shares proof that star Hannah Waddingham does her own singing
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Anyone who still doubted that Hannah Waddingham does her own singing can finally "Let It Go."
Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence offered irrefutable proof on Saturday, sharing a video of Waddingham, who plays Rebecca on the Apple TV+ comedy, apparently recording her performance of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" for season 2's Yuletide-themed episode.
"For those who asked if that was really @hannah_waddingham singing," Lawrence wrote dryly on Instagram, alongside a three-minute video of the actress belting out the classic holiday tune. "Wow. Her voice is okay, I guess. Bonus: I spy Jeremy Swift on bass," he added; at one point, the video pans to reveal Waddingham's costar accompanying her on upright bass.
It's no surprise if you know the actress's background: Waddingham is a veteran of musical theater, and has received three Laurence Olivier Award nominations (the U.K. equivalent of the Tony Awards) for her work on the London stage. She also had a "minimal foray into being a pop star," as she put it in an interview with EW, with the chart-making ballad "Our Kind of Love" in 2000.
That "Christmas" performance wasn't even Waddingham's first powerhouse vocal showcase on the series; a season 1 episode memorably featured Rebecca singing Frozen's Oscar-winning anthem "Let It Go" at karaoke. The Emmy-nominated actress previously explained to EW how Ted Lasso himself, Jason Sudeikis, cajoled her into performing the song.
Apple TV+ Hannah Waddingham in the 'Ted Lasso' season 2 Christmas episode 'Carol of the Bells'
"I went to Jason and said, 'I've avoided singing this song since it came out, because it's a beast,'" Waddingham said. "He's stroking the 'tache, and he goes, 'Okay, you find me a song that's better for your character.' I was like, 'Fine, I will!' Unfortunately, he knows exactly what he's doing and had chosen the right song. I had to just get on with it."
Fortunately, it all worked out: As Waddingham revealed during her interview on EW's The Awardist podcast, the writers of "Let It Go" reached out to her to share their approval.
"[They] said that they loved it and that's how they imagined it!" she said. "Which, as a musical theater girl, was just insane."
New episodes of Ted Lasso are currently dropping Fridays on Apple TV+.
Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring Emmys analysis, exclusive interviews, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's TV shows and performances.
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