Keeley Hazell has revealed she came close to landing a major role in Ted Lasso, a character that was directly inspired by her. 

In her new memoir, Everyone’s Seen My Tits, the actress shared that the idea was first brought up by Jason Sudeikis, with whom she was previously linked romantically.

Hazell recalled meeting with Sudeikis to talk about “the part he had written for me” while he was developing what would eventually become the Apple TV+ hit series.

At the time, the project hadn’t been picked up, but the possibility of being a lead on television thrilled her. “The idea of me being a lead in a TV show was enough to make me wet my pants with excitement,” she wrote.

According to Hazell, Sudeikis discussed creating a role named “Keeley” for the show, mirroring her own name. 

She auditioned several times for the part and, as she explained, “according to J, I was at the top of the list, but casting wanted to see another scene.” 

For her final round, Sudeikis read with her directly.

In the end, however, she was told she would not be cast in the role. That part went instead to Juno Temple, who went on to play Keeley Jones throughout the series’ entire run beginning in 2020. 

Hazell admitted the news left her devastated. “I felt like I’d been punched in the chest,” she wrote, adding, “Once I didn’t get cast as Keeley, I decided that acting could go f— itself.”

She eventually accepted a smaller role on Ted Lasso as Bex, appearing in several episodes. While her part was brief, she still encountered reminders of the character she almost played. 

Hazell recalled a moment when she gave her name while ordering food and the server responded, “Oh, Keeley, like the character from Ted Lasso!” She admitted her look of horror was mistaken for confusion before the server asked if she had seen the show.

Reflecting on the experience, Hazell pointed out how the fictional Keeley Jones often joked about being “sort of famous for being almost famous,” a line that she felt hit particularly close to home.