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Ellie Taylor didn't dare tell anyone she was in 'Ted Lasso' until she'd seen it

Ellie Taylor in Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
Ellie Taylor in Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Actor and stand up comedian Ellie Taylor said she had 'no idea' what Ted Lasso would be like when she was filming and only realised how good it was when she watched it for the first time.

Essex-born Taylor, who plays Sassy in the Apple show, said she went along to the audition expecting not to get the role, then even after filming didn't tell anyone she was in it and let it go under the radar.

She told Kate Thornton on White Wine Question Time that it was only when everyone started talking about the series that she decided she should watch it all the way through.

WATCH: Ellie Taylor reveals the first time she watched Ted Lasso

She said: "I love it. It's a lovely show. And I'm delighted to be a little tiny part of it. It's a real treat.

"It was just one of those millions of auditions that I end up going for. And I can actually remember it because I was a bit p***ed off. It's very long way across London. I was like: 'Well, here we go. I'm gonna waste half a day, traipse into the arse end of nowhere to do something and then not get the job. Like always.

"Because obviously with acting, you just get a million 'nos'. And I went along and did it and then got a 'yes!', so that was lovely.

Ellie Taylor attends the ITV Palooza 2019 at The Royal Festival Hall on November 12, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Ellie Taylor attends the ITV Palooza 2019 at The Royal Festival Hall. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

"I had no idea what it was, no one did. I turned up to film my scenes, I still didn't really have a handle on exactly what the show was. And I'd only ever seen my stuff but I didn't know anything else that was going on in the series.

"When it came out on Apple, no one knew what it was about. And I wasn't sure if I'd done that great, so I thought: 'I just I won't mention it. I won't tell anyone that I'm in it, it's fine. Just let it go under the radar.'

LISTEN to the full episode to hear Ellie Taylor talk about the transition from viral star

"And then everyone started watching it, and everyone was talking about it. And then I was like: 'I should probably get Apple TV to have a look at this! And then saw it and was like: 'Oh, it's really good. Oh, it's really good!' I saw my scenes and I thought: 'Oh, I'm okay. Okay, this is good. This is okay!'

"I'm really chuffed with it. It's such a fun character to get to play. And it's such a lovely cast. And Hannah [Waddingham] is one of the best people I've ever met in my life. That sounds like I'm exaggerating and being like a media lovey, but I think I'm in love with her. I honestly think she's one of the best people in the world, she's amazing. I love her!"

The show won four awards at the Emmys and was the most nominated first season of a comedy show ever.

Taylor talked to Thornton about her route to acting and to fame, and how grateful she feels to have lots of opportunities now.

Read more: Hannah Waddingham asked the universe for Ted Lasso role

Ellie Taylor at Global's Make Some Noise Appeal Day, set up by Global, to raise money to help disadvantaged children, young people and their families across the UK (Photo by Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)
Ellie Taylor at Global's Make Some Noise Appeal Day (Getty)

She said: "I feel really lucky that to be able to have fingers in lots of different pies – and lots of different pies that I really enjoy and it's so varied. I often try and think back to me at age 25, where I thought: 'My life's over because I've never wanted to have a corporate job and I'm in a corporate job. And that's it.'

"And I felt so disillusioned, and I thought: 'I'm done. That's me forever, I'm just stuck behind a desk.' Isn't that stupid, to feel like your life's over at 25 for God's sake? I was just being dramatic.

"But I didn't know anyone in 'the biz'. It felt so out of my reach. It was just like, may as well not bother, really. So if I think about her, that girl, and I think about where I am now. She would be so frikkin' stoked! Oh, my gosh, I wouldn't have believed you and I would have just been dying with excitement! And I do try not to take that for granted."

Watch: Ellie Taylor on being Sassy, a new mum and a media sensation