DIVA sat down to chat about the new faces of AFC Richmond
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGES BY APPLE TV
When beloved Apple TV show Ted Lasso announced that its fourth season would introduce a new women’s football team, sapphics everywhere rejoiced. Following the unstoppable rise of women’s football around the world, audiences everywhere were excited to meet the new members of AFC Richmond.
Returning alongside fan-favourite cast members like Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple and Jason Sudeikis, this new series brought together a new band of lovable, sometimes argumentative and iconic players to our screens. Among these new characters were twins Siobhan (Rex Hayes) and Niamh (Aisling Sharkey), known for their one-liners, sibling bickering and overall goal-scoring prowess.
To celebrate the last instalment of series four, DIVA sat down with Rex and Aisling to chat about starring in Ted Lasso.Â
This series has been such a beautiful ode to women’s football. How does it feel to be part of this powerful representation?
Rex: It feels amazing. It feels like an honour. I’m a football fan as well, and I go to women’s games most weekends. People started coming up to say hello. These are the people that are watching the show, and these are my people. I feel very proud to represent a community that I feel very much a part of. It’s such a joy, and I will never take it for granted.
Aisling: For me, it’s a bit different because I wasn’t a huge football fan before the show, if I’m honest. In Ireland, we play a lot of Gaelic football. In my family, half my family supported Manchester, the other half Liverpool, so there was always a lot of animosity around football in my family. I couldn’t get behind that! In men’s football, it seems like you need to die for your club and hate the others. What I’ve found through supporting women’s football is the love of the beautiful game! Whoever wins, women’s sport is always the winner.
Women’s football has always been a home to the queer community, and this series is no different. Why is that kind of representation so important?
Rex: Visibility matters in whatever form that takes. It doesn’t have to be a big storyline. It doesn’t have to be present at all times. It’s just existence. And that’s what women’s football is. It’s hugely queer, and so to get to be part of something where you’re just seeing all these different relationships simply existing is super important. It represents a real-life community, and therefore I’m really proud that the show didn’t shy away from that.
Obviously you play twins in the show. How did you build that bond?
Aisling: A lot of that [the lines] is ad-libbing! We would be given our lines and given points we had to hit, but we’d be offered to do a fun [take]. We built our bond just through the sheer amount of time together… and because we had no choice!
Rex: [Laughing] It was forced upon us! It felt like real sibling energy so quickly. Our energies and souls aligned perfectly. I really do feel like Aisling is my real sibling – because you annoy the hell out of me!
What have these roles taught you about yourselves?
Rex: There is an essence of Siobhan in me for sure. These characters have taught me to trust in myself. Siobhan and Niamh are so protective of each other, and that energy for me has been a lovely thing to feel. It’s taught me that I have a lot of love to give, and that is really powerful.
Aisling: Also, I like the idea that politeness and niceties are completely thrown to the wind. It’s cool to see two female characters interacting in this harsh way that you would so often see brothers interact. For me, it’s also cool to explore the value in different relationships. You don’t always have to be nice. The ugly can be utilised.
You can watch Ted Lasso season four on Apple TV now.
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