Ted Lasso and Elio star Brendan Hunt spoke with News47.us in an exclusive interview about the “busy” year he has ahead. And that’s not only because he’s gearing up to film season 4 of the Apple TV+ series. Brendan also has other projects coming up and another persona he’s bringing to life: Dr. Anton Hill, through his partnership with Raid. The self-described “bug doctor” educates viewers how to tackle pests at home.
“I’m always in favor of mocking academia,” the 53-year-old actor and writer says, referring to his hilariously intense Raid character that likes to “get rid of those six-legged queen-whipped sugar seekers” — a.k.a ants.
As he prepares to bring his Ted Lasso character, Coach Beard, back for season 4, Brendan points out that the rest of the year is “gonna be busy” for him. Without divulging details about what fans can expect, Brendan credits the entire cast and crew of Ted Lasso as “good professionals,” adding, “Every time we see each other, it’s like a school reunion.”
While he’s known for his performance as the loyal Coach Beard, Brendan also portrays the animated conspiracy theorist and Air Force analyst Gunther in Pixar’s Elio, which hit theaters earlier this summer. It was Brendan’s first time voicing “such a big project,” so he “really wanted to do it right,” he tells News47.us — so much so that he used a “crash bar” in the studio to “freak out” while voicing the character.
To top off 2025, Brendan also appears in the upcoming sci-fi film Terrestrial, which premieres at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal this month.
“It’s a classic … little sci-fi thriller thing with an incredible cast directed by [Hot Tub Time Machine director] Steve Pink,” Brendan boasts, calling the filmmaker a “f**king legend” and adding, “Not a part I get to play much either. Not too dissimilar from Dr. Anton Hill, but perhaps it was a slightly more dark side.”
Speaking of his Raid character who holds a PhD (pest handling degree, mind you), Brendan quips that Raid “was one of [his] first words” as a kid. As a Chicago native, the We’re the Millers actor remembers growing up with creepy crawlers at home — specifically roaches.
