Brendan Hunt (The Movement You Need, Ted Lasso)

Brendan Hunt, a.k.a. Coach Beard on Ted Lasso, is back in his hometown of Chicago to open a one-man show at Steppenwolf Theatre: The Movement You Need. The title comes from “Hey Jude,” and Hunt’s subject is how his mother and he bonded over the Beatles amid more troublesome aspects of their relationship. Here we bat around the Beatles and their appeal to parents and kids, all while so little current music sounds like them. Hunt also discusses the motivation and process of creating a one-man show, with Broadway in his sights. This emotionally loaded gig, with its eight performances a week, certainly requires much more talking than the laconic Coach Beard. Hunt reflects on his longtime collaboration with friend Jason Sudeikis; they’re Ted Lasso co-creators/co-writers who previously worked together in the Amsterdam-based improv troupe Boom Chicago. Given that Sudeikis and Hunt initially characterized Ted Lasso as a three-part journey, how did they recalibrate to create the upcoming Season 4? (Photo by Robyn Von Swank)