A Greyhound Barks: Kola Bokinni
Words by: Beth Bennett
Imagery: Hayden Blaz
Fresh from the set of the upcoming third season of Apple’s hit cultural phenomenon, Ted Lasso, AFC Richmond’s most charming greyhound, Kola Bokinni (Isaac McAdoo), joined us for a chat about taking risks, footballing on screen, and the lasting legacy of ‘Believe’.
Beth: So firstly, I have to say, my editor is a huge fan of Top Boy and absolutely loved you in it.
Kola: Thank you. Thank you, man. Appreciate it.
Beth: Now, obviously, you’re in Ted Lasso and it’s a completely different London, it’s a completely different world. What drew you to seeking out that change?
Kola: I wanted something different. I mean it’s quite easy to get pigeonholed and get kind of typecast, especially when you’re from London. South London, especially. Top Boy was an amazing role, but after doing it for seven months, I was really keen on doing something completely different than Ted Lasso came up.
I didn’t really know what it was. I was kind of sceptical of, you know— I’d seen some football shows and hadn’t quite hit. But after speaking to my family and they told me to take a leap of faith and now here I am, three seasons in.
Beth: Of course, you have the likes of Brett Goldstein on the writing staff, but the series is mostly helmed by Americans. Was there ever a part of you that was a bit unsure about how they would be able to look British football and footballing culture and if they would accidentally make it into some sort of parody?
Kola: I did actually watch that original skit, years ago now, the Hotspur skit. You know, over here we take football very seriously and in America they don’t really. So it’d be like if we tried to make a show about basketball and the NFL, really risky. But they’ve managed it. Looking back on the original skit now, I believe that those are two different characters, two different two different people. I mean, yeah, they have the same name. They look the same, but this show isn’t the same as that sketch. It gets it.
Beth: Ted Lasso has a great gift of understanding the nuances of us all, yet it doesn’t linger in drudgery but rather finds ways to celebrate overcoming hardship and the joys of teamwork whatever kind it may be; do you find that working on the show has affected your own personal philosophies?
Kola: Any role that you play, especially in something like TV that’s long running, you’re always going to take a bit of that character with you. And all these amazing humans that I worked with have changed me a bit too.
I’ve become a little bit more compassionate, just a little more patient. I’ve learnt to kind of step back and kind of look at the bigger picture.
Beth: The reception was phenomenal as well, I mean, there must have been a big shift going into Season 2 following that success.
Kola: Yeah, yeah there was. One of the producers, Chip, he says that says season one was full of true believers because we didn’t have a clue. There was no hype, there were no awards, or fans or anything like that. Just us, believing in the show.
Beth: And now. Now you’re in FIFA.
Kola: That is still something I don’t think I’ll ever get over. But it’s the magic of what this show has done. You know, it’s crossed a lot of barriers. People will remember us for doing something new and I like that.
Beth: So, this issue is World Cup related, we’ve got the Swiss National Team Captain on the cover.
Kola:The goalkeeper, yeah? Yann Sommer, I think he’s wicked.
Beth: He is! He really is. But, I have to ask, how do you think it’s going to be for England?
Kola: To be honest, I just want it to be an exciting World Cup. I want it to be like…Remember when Greece won the Euros? I want it to be like that. That’s what football was about. You know, these days it’s just so much money, so much politics, and it’s like we’re losing sight of the game. It’s all about anything can happen on the day. And that’s what the World Cup should be about.
And, you know, England may turn up and do a Greece. But, really, I just want it be exciting.
Beth: They just need you in the locker room with your little ‘Believe’ sign.
Kola: I wouldn’t be surprised, I’ve heard they’ve got it in so many clubs.
Beth: Do you reckon that’s what the Lionesses had in the Euros?
Kola: Oh, yeah. I’ve been told by very reliable sources that they did.
Beth: Really?
Kola: Yeah. Yeah, no names, but I’ve been told. It could have been the sign, it could have been just verbally saying it. But there was definitely some sort of believing going on there.
Beth: Did you ever think you’d work on something that had such a cultural impact? Not just in terms of fans but, I mean, for the legacy of your show to make it into the locker rooms of the premier league clubs or the national teams?
Kola: Of course I didn’t. That’s the power of the show though; its message and ideals are about not settling for what you’ve been given or what you’ve been told you are. It’s about giving into that bit of attitude and proving to yourself that you can be better, whether it’s being kinder or being a better footballer, or both things together. It’s about underdogs who dust themselves off ‘together’ and, yeah they’re individual, they’re themselves off the pitch, but on the pitch they’re a collective.
It makes sense that team would come out and say that they’re adopting these ideas because it’s a way to live life, isn’t it? It speaks to the impact of the show too. It’s not just fiction anymore.
Beth: So is there anything that you really kind of hope that people take away from, like, Isaac and the show at the end of this upcoming season?
Kola: Everybody has images of themselves, you know, and most of the time you are your own worst enemy and you’re in your own way. Isaac has realised his potential. He’s not just some stupid footballer or bully. He’s the leader, and he’s got something to offer everyone around him. And that’s what I want people to take away from this. Sometimes you just need to get out of your own way. You can be in your head and you can assuage yourself that ‘if I do this, this is going to happen’ because your brain creates scenarios as a defence mechanism because it’s scared of rejection or pain. But then, nine times out of ten, that is not going to happen.
Life is a series of curveballs, right? You know, you wake up every day, you don’t have a clue. You have not got one clue. You have an idea of how your day can go. But in the end, none of us know.
So embrace the curveballs, embrace life a little bit more. And once you start, keep going. That’s what I want people to take away from this journey.
@kolabokinni
Season 3 of Ted Lasso is now showing on Apple+