Ted Lasso and Elio star Brendan Hunt spoke with Hollywood Life in an unique interview concerning the “busy” yr he has forward. And that’s not solely as a result of he’s gearing as much as movie season 4 of the Apple TV+ collection. Brendan additionally has different initiatives arising and one other persona he’s bringing to life: Dr. Anton Hill, by his partnership with Raid. The self-described “bug physician” educates viewers the right way to sort out pests at residence.
“I’m all the time in favor of mocking academia,” the 53-year-old actor and author says, referring to his hilariously intense Raid character that likes to “do away with these six-legged queen-whipped sugar seekers” — a.ok.a ants.
As he prepares to convey his Ted Lasso character, Coach Beard, again for season 4, Brendan factors out that the remainder of the yr is “gonna be busy” for him. With out divulging particulars about what followers can count on, Brendan credit the complete forged and crew of Ted Lasso as “good professionals,” including, “Each time we see one another, it’s like a faculty reunion.”
Whereas he’s identified for his efficiency because the loyal Coach Beard, Brendan additionally portrays the animated conspiracy theorist and Air Drive analyst Gunther in Pixar’s Elio, which hit theaters earlier this summer season. It was Brendan’s first time voicing “such a giant venture,” so he “actually wished to do it proper,” he tells Hollywood Life — a lot in order that he used a “crash bar” within the studio to “freak out” whereas voicing the character.
To high off 2025, Brendan additionally seems within the upcoming sci-fi movie Terrestrial, which premieres on the Fantasia Worldwide Movie Pageant in Montreal this month.
“It’s a traditional … little sci-fi thriller factor with an unimaginable forged directed by [Hot Tub Time Machine director] Steve Pink,” Brendan boasts, calling the filmmaker a “f**king legend” and including, “Not a component I get to play a lot both. Not too dissimilar from Dr. Anton Hill, however maybe it was a barely extra darkish aspect.”
Talking of his Raid character who holds a PhD (pest dealing with diploma, thoughts you), Brendan quips that Raid “was one in all [his] first phrases” as a child. As a Chicago native, the We’re the Millers actor remembers rising up with creepy crawlers at residence — particularly roaches.
“I grew up in Chicago. I’ve received historical past with roaches,” he factors out. “If persons are certainly scared to confront them, effectively then, who am I to faux to not worth that place?”
Whereas recalling a jarring expertise, Brendan tells Hollywood Life that he’s “scarred for all times” from one childhood reminiscence.
“There was one time once I was little or no — my mother had a behavior of carrying along with her in her purse a bag of Nestlé chocolate chips,” he recollects, including that when he was about 4 or 5 years outdated, he seen she had spilled some goodies on the bottom one evening. Already accustomed to what roaches appeared like, Brendan says he touched every chip, and one in all them turned out to be a roach.
Since Raid’s merchandise provide safety in opposition to a wide range of pests, together with ants, crickets and scorpions, Brendan admits that roaches “are the worst.”
“We simply all the time had roaches,” the Illinois State College alum says. “I don’t suppose I used to be allowed to make use of the [Raid] product at the moment. Nonetheless, I knew the place that assist was coming from. … If folks do need to take a look at extra of what Dr. Anton Hill is as much as, it’s @raid [on] all of the socials, and there’s additionally loads to see at raid.com.”
