Ted Lasso Cast Reveals Why the Zava Locker Room Scene Took So Long to Film

[Warning: The following contains spoilers from Ted Lasso Season 2 Episode 3. Read at your own risk!]

Ted Lasso Episode 3 is all about Zava (Maximilian Osinski). At the end of the Apple TV+ comedy's last episode, the legendary footballer announced that he would not be joining Chelsea or West Ham United — but rather Richmond. The news came as a shock to all, and "4-5-1" shows Zava meeting our beloved players, plus Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), for the first time.

Richmond's introduction to Zava was anything but understated. After the icon made a grandiose entrance into the locker room, he strolled past the jaw-dropped players one by one. When Zava patted some of them, they responded as if they've been touched by the hand of God. He eventually made his way to the front of the crowd and addressed the men goggling at him before inviting them into a breathing exercise. "That particular scene was probably the scene in Season 3 that took the longest to film," series co-creator Brendan Hunt, who also stars as Coach Beard, told TV Guide. "There was just so much laughing." 

What made the scene more humorous was Zava repeatedly positioning himself directly in front of Ted. "I'm laughing about it now — the incredibly subtle physical comedy of Jason coming around Zava all the time whenever Zava blocks him," Hunt recalled. "Max couldn't even see what he was doing, and Max still couldn't keep a straight face. It just radiated funny."

Toheeb Jimoh, who plays Sam Obisanya, said the filming was also memorable because it involved most of the cast. "Any of those scenes where we're all together, there's a really great energy in the room," he said. "There's always buzz and fizz — a lot of the time we're getting told to be quiet and just do our jobs because people are having too much fun on set." Jimoh described this particular scene as "chaotic" because so many were breaking into laughter. "I think it was also dope to welcome Max into the fold," he added. "Whatever way we could assist him in finding his way into the team and and becoming a part of the Greyhound Family, that's what we're gonna do."

Brett Goldstein, who plays Roy Kent, talked about having the "f--king funny" Osinski join the ensemble. "Max is really amazing, and he only sort of revealed later he was like, I was very nervous," Goldstein recalled. "He's got to come in and kind of dominate this room of people he's watched on TV."

As for how his character feels about Zava joining Richmond? "Roy is the only one that's slightly weary of him to start with," Goldstein said. "It's a complicated decision because it's like having a Michael Jordan. Do you want one of the top five greatest players of all time on your team? The answer is yes, of course you do." But Goldstein said there are of course downsides as well. "On the other hand, it does completely unbalance the team and all these players that you've been working on and with." The actor explained his character's conflicted feelings. "I think Roy is slightly like, the f--k is this but he's also played with this guy, he knows he's insane."

After Zava joined the team, the star immediately fueled a winning streak and Richmond skyrocketed to being ranked third in the league — only after Manchester City and West Ham United. The team is now a one-man show, and there's no doubt that Zava added as many points to Richmond as Osinski added humor to Episode 3.

Ted Lasso Season 3 is available to stream.