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Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis has spoken about the “joy” of having the real-life sister of Dani Rojas actor Cristo Fernández join the cast for the show’s latest season.
Fernández made Rojas a fan-favorite character during his time on the series, playing an effervescent footballer whose catchphrase was: “Football is life.”
In the new season, which focuses on Lasso becoming the coach of a women’s team, Fernández’s real-life sister Paloma Cinco plays his character’s sibling Maria Rojas, an aspiring footballer.
Speaking to Deadline, Sudeikis said the show has endeavored to replicate real-life relationships onscreen, pointing out that Leslie Higgins actor Jeremy Swift’s on-screen wife is played by his actual spouse, Mary Roscoe.
“I love when we do stuff like that,” said Sudeikis. “Whenever we have a love interest on the show, we encourage them to pick someone because they’ll have that natural chemistry.”
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Real-life siblings Cristo Fernández and Paloma Cinco play brother and sister in the ‘Ted Lasso’ universe (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Sudeikis continued: “So to have Cristo’s sister Paloma on the show, who we had all known personally… the two of them are just a joy to be around. And that joy remains with them as individuals. I love that she did it and that she did it with gusto. She was so funny and so sweet.”
In a separate interview with the publication, Cinco revealed that she and her brother had actually conceived of the idea themselves.
“Cristo and I had the idea to pitch that Dani has a sister,” said Cinco. “After that, at an Oscars after-party, a member of the press asked Cristo if he would be returning to Ted Lasso for the new fourth season. He said no, but then jokingly added, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if his sister was?’”
She continued: “From there, we started to process what that could look like. We recorded an audition based on that and sent it along. In our version, Dani’s sister is named Daniela Rojas. She was similar to the character you meet, Maria Rojas, in that she’s equally as positive, energetic, and charismatic, like her brother Dani. There was another version where Daniela was grumpy and dark, the complete opposite of Maria. In our version, she was a good soccer player.”
Paloma Cinco as Maria Rojas in ‘Ted Lasso’ (Apple TV)
Earlier this year, Fernández made his debut as a professional player in a game for El Paso in a USL Cup match against New Mexico United.
Before his acting career, Fernandez was an accomplished youth player, competing with Tecos FC in Liga MX. However, injuries ultimately shifted his path towards acting.
His return to professional soccer began with a tryout for the Chicago Fire’s reserve squad earlier this year, which subsequently led to another tryout with El Paso and a contract.
In an ESPN interview in May, he explained: “Football has given me both the best moments, the sad moments. I guess that’s why, for me, football is life.”