Ted Lasso himself promised “a Vanity Fair to remember” in last week’s episode. That’s what the Ted Lasso season two finale delivered on Friday, with the reveal of a fictional Vanity Fair feature all about “Keeley Jones, Woman on Top.”
Here at Vanity Fair, we were delighted to be part of Keeley’s big moment—even though, as actor Juno Temple sees it, it’s both a thrilling and scary one for Keeley. “I actually think this is something she doesn’t feel entirely confident about,” Temple tells us from a voice memo recorded between takes on her current project, The Offer. “I think she’s nervous as hell.”
In the season’s penultimate episode, which aired last week, we saw one part of Keeley’s V.F. shoot, with her posing at home alongside reluctant boyfriend Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein). But in the final magazine spread, which Keeley sees on her iPad, Roy is nowhere to be seen. Instead, the focus is entirely on Keeley, whose poses run the gamut from serious businesswoman to cheeky former model dressed like an angel. “She knows how much Roy hates that kind of stuff,” Temple says. “And he bit the bullet and supported her in it and did it for her. So I think the fact that his efforts then went unappreciated makes her feel kind of heartbroken for him.”
The photo shoot disappointment is yet another hurdle that Roy and Keeley manage to overcome together—though the episode ends on a note of uncertainty, as Keeley turns down his offer of a six-week vacation in order to focus on her business. The relationship that seems on much firmer footing is the one between Keeley and Rebecca, who cry together in Rebecca’s office when Keeley announces she’s leaving the team for her own P.R. firm. Temple calls the emotional scene with Hannah Waddingham a moment of art imitating life: “Throughout this whole experience of making this very special show and finding the extraordinary woman that is Hannah Waddingham coming into my life, she’s given me a lot of advice and given me many a cuddle. And I have wept many a tear on her shoulder, and vice versa. It felt like there wasn’t a camera rolling, to be honest with you.”
Getting in full hair and makeup to play Keeley is never a simple process, but Temple went all out to be outfitted for the fictional Vanity Fair shoot—and her costars noticed. In a behind-the-scenes video shared by Apple, you can see cast members gathered outside Temple’s trailer to see her spectacular angel look. “That was a great moment because actually, as a human, as Juno, I’m really nervous about having my picture taken,” Temple says. “I’m not great at it. I way prefer being in motion. So I was quite nervous about doing the photo shoot with Keeley, so that was a real confidence boost.”
The third and likely final season of Ted Lasso is on the horizon, and Temple has no predictions other than hoping “I get to sit with my shoes off a lot still on Rebecca’s couch.” For now, she’s reveling in a moment where this time life is imitating art: talking to Vanity Fair about her character’s feature in Vanity Fair. “I don’t know if that will ever happen again in my life. That’s really badass.”
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