“It felt like a punch”

'I felt like I'd been punched'
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She didn’t believe.

In her memoir, “Everyone’s Seen My Tits,” actress Keeley Hazell revealed that the role Juno Temple plays in “Ted Lasso” was initially written for her.

Hazell, who had been romantically involved with Jason Sudeikis, the star and creator of the show, mentioned in her book that she had discussions with Sudeikis about “the part he had written for me” in a “football show set in England.”

She recounted, as per Us Weekly, “The show hadn’t been picked up at this point, meaning it was simply a script waiting to be sold. However, the thought of being a lead in a TV series was thrilling enough to make me extremely excited.”

Hazell, 38, noted that the former “SNL” star, 49, said he was writing the role of a woman named “Keeley,” and although Hazell read for it, the part ultimately went to Temple, 36. 

Temple received three Emmy nominations for the role.

“I felt like I’d been punched in the chest,” Hazell wrote in her book. “Once I didn’t get cast as Keeley, I decided that acting could go f— itself.” 

Hazell also had a small role in Sudeikis’ 2014 movie “Horrible Bosses 2,” and she appeared in the E! show “The Royals” in 2015 and 2018.

“Ted Lasso” premiered on AppleTV+ in 2020, following a cheerful American football coach (Sudeikis) who finds himself coaching an English soccer team. Keely is a PR exec who is originally dating self-absorbed star player Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) before moving on to grumpy veteran player Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein). 

The comedy ended after three seasons in 2023, before announcing in March that it would return for a surprise fourth season, following a women’s team.

Sudeikis was previously engaged to actress and director Olivia Wilde, 41, for over seven years before they ended their relationship at the beginning of 2020.

The “Horrible Bosses” star was romantically linked to Hazell in 2021, and they reportedly split in 2022.

That timeline means that Hazell was not dating Sudeikis yet at the time that he reportedly wrote the role of Keeley for her. The Post has reached out to Hazell and Sudeikis for comment.

She would eventually go on to play a smaller role in “Ted Lasso,” as the character Bex. After Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) has an ugly split from former team owner Rupert (Anthony Head), he moves on to Bex. 

Hazell wrote in her memoir that she is  someone “who has stumbled and struggled and survived,” adding, “I get to play the greatest role of my lifetime — the Real Keeley, and here she f—— is.”

“Ted Lasso” Season 4 doesn’t have an announced premiere date. Sudeikis and Temple will reprise their roles, but it’s not been confirmed if Hazell will return.

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