We have a lot to thankTed Lassofor, but one of the most joyous things we’ve gained fromApple TV+’s hit comedy series is getting exposure to the comedic — and general — joys of some of its cast members, and in particular,Phil DunsterandHannah Waddingham. As such, it was nothing short of a delight to see the pair reunite forHannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, a holiday special for Apple TV+. The actor has also revealed he’d be open to further roles in that musical field,as he told Collider’sChristina Radish. “Listen, you can join my campaign. Yeah, absolutely. If it’s an interesting project and part and something to play, it doesn’t matter whether I’m juggling or singing, or anything. I’d love to just try to do something interesting.”
The musical special made great sense for Waddingham, a prolific stage performer since the 1990s, who received great acclaim for her work in projects likeInto the Woods, The Wizard of OzandKiss Me, Kate, before she became an iconic figure for millions after her appearance as the fabulous Rebecca Welton, the owner of AFC Richmond. Dunster, meanwhile, a perennial soap actor in the United Kingdom prior tohis big break asbad boy Jamie Tartt inTed Lasso,has less musical experience — but after the success of the show, Dunster caught the musical bug and it’s now something he’s interested in pursuing.
Dunster, who appeared in the Christmas special performing a fantastic song-and-dance number, admitted that he wasn’t originally part of the show. However, a lengthy period of time campaigning to be part of the show paid dividends in the end —especially after Waddingham was shown a video of Dunster performing in a cafe as a teenager.
“It was a mix between me campaigning, for every day that I knew her, to let me do something like that. And then, they probably just ran out of people and were like, “Who else have we got?” No, it was one of those things where Hannah told us that she was doing it, and then one thing led to another. I think that they were sent a video of me playing in a cafe with a guitar when I was 18 and Hannah was like, “I didn’t know that you could sing.” So, it came fairly naturally. Hannah just saw a video of me singing and was like, “Yeah, he’ll make an idiot of himself, for sure.”
Phil Dunster Did Not Want to Let Hannah Waddingham Down
Dunster also acknowledged that, as an important person in his life, he didn’t want to let Waddingham down, and as such, felt nerves beforehand when preparing for his performance. He also confessed that seeing stars likeLeslie Odom Jr.getting up there before him piled on that pressure, as well asnoting that he couldn’t afford to take the opportunity for granted.
“You want to get it right, for sure. I was very nervous before,” said Dunster. “And then, I saw Leslie Odom Jr. sing his song with Hannah, and I was like, “Okay, great. Obviously, I’d never be able to do that, so I’m here to just be a bit of relief.”I honestly had such a joyful time doing it, just watching Hannah. Hannah is a friend and watching her get to be her greatest stage presence was a real treat and an honor.People would probably pay a lot of money to perform with her, and I was very lucky to do that.”
BothHannah Waddingham: Home for ChristmasandTed Lassoare available to streamnow onApple TV+.
Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas
Join Hannah Waddingham for stunning performances including Phil Dunster, Luke Evans, Leslie Odom Jr., Sam Ryder, and more.
