Keeley Hazell has revealed she underwent extensive therapy after missing out on the lead role of Keeley Jones in the hit Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso. The former glamour model, once a regular in lads' magazines such as FHM, Loaded and Nuts, said the disappointment was particularly hard to process because the character was reportedly based on her own life.
From glamour modelling to Hollywood
After leaving topless modelling behind in her 20s, Hazell relocated to Los Angeles, where she reinvented herself as a comedian, actress and writer. She landed roles in films including Like Crazy (2011) and Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), as well as television work.
In Ted Lasso, she played the smaller role of Bex, while the part of Keeley Jones went to Juno Temple, who went on to earn three Emmy nominations. Hazell told the i Paper: "It's a complete mind-f**k, especially as the show rendered immense amounts of success for the actress that plays Keeley - it changed her life. It needs a lot of therapy and I've had a lot for it."
Based on her life
Jason Sudeikis, who helped develop the show and stars as the titular Ted Lasso, had invited Hazell to dinner, where he told her he had written a part about a former glamour model turned marketing executive. The character was based on Hazell's life and even shared her name, but the role went to Temple instead. Hazell did land the smaller role and works as a staff writer on the series.
In her memoir, Everyone’s Seen My Tits, Hazell previously admitted, as reported by Us Weekly, that the prospect of playing the lead was enough to make her "wet my pants with excitement". After auditioning, she was said to be at the "top of the list", but Sudeikis later broke the news by text that she was being "offered another part".
Reaction and aftermath
Hazell wrote that she felt like she had been "punched in the chest". She added: "Once I didn’t get cast as Keeley, I decided that acting could go f*** itself." She explained that she gave an "Oscar-worthy" performance, acting as if she were "totally fine" with the decision.
"It was better than my acting in the show, which was bad. Just awful. Instead of using this as an opportunity to prove how good I was, I sabotaged myself on-screen with defiant disengagement." She added: "I get to play the greatest role of my lifetime — the Real Keeley, and here she f***ing is."
