Why Jason Segel Wanted to 'Break' Brett Goldstein'sTed LassoPersona withShrinkingSeason 2

Mar. 15, 2025

(L-R) Jason Segel; Brett Goldstein.Photo:Monica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty; Leon Bennett/Getty

Monica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty; Leon Bennett/Getty

Jason Segel’s ploy to helpBrett Goldsteinto shed hisTed Lassocharacter was born out of first-hand experience.

At the Oct. 7 premiere ofShrinkingseason 2in Los Angeles, Calif. the actor, 44, told multiple outlets, including PEOPLE, why he wanted to cast Goldstein in a surprisingly dark and pivotal role in the upcoming season.

“Brett’s capable of doing anything,” Segel said, noting how Goldstein’s been closely tied to the project from the beginning as writer and co-creator. “And I knew secretly that he wanted to play that part and I knew he would kill it.”

TheFreaks and Geeksalum then explained how his role as Marshall Erickson onHow I Met Your Mothermade it difficult for audiences to see him as anything other than the friendly Minnesota native.

“I have a lot of experience being Marshall Erickson and then working to have people see me as other characters, and I know that he probably deals with that as Roy Kent,” he continued, referring to Goldstein’sTed Lassocharacter. “I just wanted to be the voice to say, ‘No, do something totally different. Let’s break that now.’ And he’s amazing in the show.”

Segel played the lovable role of Marshall onHow I Met Your Mother, which followed Ted (Josh Radnor) telling his children the long-winded love story about their mother while navigating adulthood in N.Y.C with his four best friends.

(L-R) Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, Josh Radnor, Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan on ‘How I Met Your Mother’.CBS via Getty

CBS via Getty

The beloved sitcom aired from 2005 to 2014 and even birthed a gender-flipped spinoff titled,How I Met Your Father, starringHilary Duff. Original cast membersNeil Patrick HarrisandCobie Smulderseven made guest appearances on the show.

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Before the spinoff was cancelled after two seasons in Sept. 2023, Segel toldEntertainment Tonightthat he would be more than happy to reprise his role in the series.

“Those people changed my life, and I would do anything they ever asked me to,” he said of the show’s co-creators, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.

source: people.com