“Ted Lasso” star Nick Mohammed had to find “a real truth” to play Nate Shelley

Nick Muhammad, who stars in the Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso,” said he had to find “a real truth” to play Nathan “Nate” Shelley on the show, which premieres Wednesday for its season 3. is out with.

Shelley started out as an underdog character in Season 1, before Muhammad said things took a “slightly different turn” in Season 2, when she changed her role – now considered the villain. .

“To play him realistically, I had to find a real truth about why he was behaving the way he did,” Muhammad said of his character.

“A lot of it stems from his toxic relationship with his father,” Muhammad said Wednesday on “CBS Mornings.” “And you know, he was clearly bullied when he first started at AFC Richmond, by some of the players at the club, as a cutman.”

He said that every villain has an origin story, and Shelley is no exception — though he noted that he can’t condone his character’s recent behavior.

“I don’t condone it, but … he’s a lot of fun to play,” he added.