Back when Ted Lasso was still on I got into a lot of arguments with some people over their hatred toward the character Nate. I didn’t get it. As a writer, I totally understood where the show-runners were going with Nate’s redemption arc. As an actor I totally thought the actor, Nick, did a great job playing the character. So I was really upset when people were nasty about that character (and so NOT aligned with what the show was about, which is kindness!!)

But now that I have played a villain in a play, I get it. I can’t tell you how many times people came to me after the show and said, “You’re such a lovely person but you really made me hate that character.” I realized that audiences will always bring their own biases, values and experiences to a story and no matter what the writers or actors do, they will cling to those biases. For example, if someone was abused in their lives, they would almost always hate an abuser in any story no matter the backstories, etc. I tried to give my character additional dimensions and backgrounds and qualities so at least the audiences could understand where the character came from and the trauma he experienced — while that did not excuse the character from the horrible things he did, at the very least we could understand it was a matter of making good choices, and most people don’t.

Having played Jud Fry and gotten positive feedbacks, I have a new-found understanding and appreciation for the audiences and I now try to empathize instead of feeling the need to “correct” them. It’s not my job as an actor or writer to make them feel the way I want them to… it’s MY JOB to tell a good story and to give my characters dimensions and depths even if they’re evil or not likable. And the fact that some people did come to me and say, “You know, you made it difficult for me to hate Jud!” even if it’s just 1 out of 10 people who feels that way, it’s a win for me.