How Phil Dunster Reacted to His ‘Ted Lasso’ Scene w/ Man City Legend Pep Guardiola

Phil Dunster, who plays Jamie Tartt on Ted Lasso, joined The Rich Eisen Show and revealed that his real-life football allegiance lives several leagues below AFC Richmond. He's an AFC Wimbledon supporter.

Rich asked the obvious comp. Is AFC Wimbledon basically the real-world Richmond? Dunster shook his head and laughed.

"They don't quite have the same funding as AFC Richmond," he said.

Then he traced the club's history. Wimbledon FC were a Premier League side back in the day. Around 2000 to 2002, the club went into administration. They got bought by a franchise, which Dunster pointed out is not really how English football works. The local Wimbledon community refused to support the new ownership group, the team "who shall not be named," and started their own club from scratch.

It's a phoenix club, in the literal sense. The original Wimbledon FC emblem was a phoenix. AFC Wimbledon kept it.

They have climbed from the eighth tier of English football all the way up. They are currently in League One, the third tier, and have held that perch for 24 years of work.

Dunster, for the record, is not from Wimbledon. He came to football late, having grown up playing rugby. He calls himself a born-again football supporter. He picked AFC Wimbledon because the story grabbed him. By proxy, he supports Arsenal too, because his best mate does.

Which led Rich to the natural question. When Jamie Tartt left Richmond for Manchester City, was there a personal conflict?

Dunster talked around it diplomatically and pivoted to the real story. The Ted Lasso production worked with Pep Guardiola.

The Manchester City manager came to set at the Etihad. Many of the extras filling the stands were actual Manchester City supporters. When Pep walked into the stadium, the entire crowd of extras rose and applauded.

"It was quite an amazing sort of messianic moment," Dunster said.

Guardiola was generous with his time. Dunster described him as physical and emotive with players, the kind of manager who slaps players on the chest as a sign of paternal affection.

During filming, Guardiola and Jamie Tartt shared a scripted moment where Pep whispers in Jamie's ear. After the take, Pep slapped Dunster on the chest the way he does with his actual players.

"It was the greatest thing," Dunster said. "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir."

Guardiola did not, however, coach Dunster up on football technique. Dunster was clear about that. Pep wasn't going to waste his time on that. He just asked Jason Sudeikis what to say and did it.

Rich asked the other obvious question. Did Dunster actually improve as a footballer?

Dunster compared it to choreography. Unlike dance, where the variables are space, time, and a partner, football adds a spinning ball and bobbling grass. The crew just focused on getting Dunster to the right spots and hoping the ball followed.

The editing made him look better than he was. The trouble started when he'd play five-a-side with his mates, get hammered six-nil, and a stranger would walk up to him after the game.

"Aren't you Jamie Tartt?" Dunster mimicked. "And I'm there dripping in sweat, having just lost six nil, and I'm like, shut up."