Brett Goldstein opens up on 'depression' before Ted Lasso role

The 46-year-old actor was feeling dejected after a series of career disappointments in the mid-2010s, having landed a number of pilots which failed to get picked up for full runs.

"Also, I was getting older and I had this moment of genuine… I don’t know, epiphany, or something, where I was like, 'Maybe I’ve missed my window. Maybe the window for me having any sort of big success has gone.'...

Brett went to see a therapist, and while nothing was working at first, things changed when he was advised to start a "gratitude journal".

He recalled: "Every day she made me write a list of 10 things that happened that day that I was grateful for.

"In the beginning, when you’re so, so depressed, it’s like, 'Nothing'. But you have to put 10 in. 'The sun was up.' That’s one. You start so small.

"But by day 30 of doing that, you’ve started training your brain to look for the positive, and I could write a list of 100 things. I’m the luckiest guy in the world! Everything’s f****** amazing!"

That process helped him change his outlook, and he realised that despite being as a "very low level", he was still getting to "make stuff" every single day.

He added: "And that’s the bit I actually like. I don’t care about being famous. If my life is what I have at the moment, then I’m the luckiest guy in the world.

"And then I think two weeks later, I got the phone call about Ted Lasso."

Since then, he's also co-created, written and starred in three seasons of Apple TV series Shrinking, as well as appearing in the likes of Thor: Love and Thunder and this year's Office Romance.

Brett is still keeping himself grounded by still doing stand-up, which is a welcome break from the glitz and glamour of his TV and film work.

He explained: "The big red carpet stuff is stressful. It’s so intense and you have to really prep yourself. But sometimes you’re like, 'Yeah, this is hard, but it’s not harder than a comedy club on a Friday night.' "