Brett Goldstein ‘accidentally’ became a breakout star of Ted Lasso and is now taking over Hollywood with a Warner Bros deal, two Emmys and ‘growing close’ to Jennifer Lopez

She’s quickly taking over Hollywood after ‘accidentally’ becoming a breakout star in 2020’s Ted Lasso.

Brett Goldstein was initially hired as a writer, but made a name for himself as the likable, foul-mouthed AFC Richmond team captain-turned-coach Roy Kent.

Since then, the 45-year-old British actor has taken on an increasing number of roles both behind and in front of the camera.

He currently stars in Netflix’s new comedy Office Romance, where he is said to be ‘close’ to co-star Jennifer Lopez.

Joking about his sudden rise to fame, he said: “20 years of overnight success!” he joked. ‘But I get it,’ he adds. ‘Nobody’s ever seen me before.’

So who is this star who has solidified his place in Hollywood and is said to be ‘dating’ a famous star? Here the Daily Mail takes a look.

He is currently directing Netflix’s new comedy Office Romance, in which he stars alongside Jennifer Lopez.

Brett was born to Jewish parents in Sutton, in the south London suburbs.

His father created his love for the Tottenham Hotspur football team, which inspired Ted’s motto that hope is what kills people.

After finishing school, he graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in film studies.

He briefly moved to Marbella, Spain, to work at a strip club his father bought during his ‘mid-life crisis’.

Brett then moved to New York to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts until 2003.

There he would write scripts and later turn his experience of living in Marbella into a stand-up special for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival called Brett Goldstein Grew Up in A Strip Club.

Brett began acting in short films and had his first feature film role in the thriller Wish You Were Here, which he wrote.

He made his television appearance in 2009 in two episodes of ITV’s long-running police drama The Bill.

He later appeared in many comedy series, including BBC’s Uncle and E4’s Drifters.

But his first big break didn’t come until he played Tom in Ricky Gervais’ 2013 TV show Derek.

In an interview with Esquire at the time, Brett opened up about his nerves on set.

He said: ‘I was pretty nervous on my first day – working with Ricky Gervais was a big deal and it was my first big TV job – and so I got a job and he said, ‘Perfect! Let’s get on with it.’

‘And I think he said, “I trust The Force: it looked good, it felt good, I liked it. I don’t want a bunch of options in the edit. I trust it, let’s move on.”

‘This is really inspiring and sometimes I’m like that, sometimes I’m not. At some point you have to trust because you can drive yourself crazy.’

In 2015, Brett wrote and starred in the superhero film SuperBob and guest-starred in Catherine Tate’s Nan.

In 2016, he won the BIFA award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Brendan in the comedy film Adult Life Skills.

Two years later he starred in Doctor Who and went on to launch a successful podcast called Films To Be Buried.

TV producer Bill Lawrence hired Brett as a writer for the 2020 Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso.

However, he almost missed this opportunity due to short notice.

He told Entertainment Weekly: ‘I thought, I have some concerts. I have a few stand-up shows.

‘And he said, ‘You’d be crazy to turn this down for some stand-up gig.’

Brett initially worked as a writer and executive story editor, but was later cast as Rory Kent after attending an unsolicited audition.

Brett initially worked as a writer and executive story editor but was later cast as Rory Kent after attending an unsolicited audition.

Brett won two Emmy Awards for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Ted Lasso in 2021 and 2022.

He told Vulture: ‘I still can’t believe it worked, and I can’t believe I did it — basically, as I was writing this, I started thinking I could play Roy; I really understand.

‘So on my last day in the writers’ room, the night before, [recorded a tape]I did five scenes of playing Roy without telling anyone and then sent an email to Bill. [Lawrence] and he said: “I was thinking I could play Roy… but if this is embarrassing, you can just pretend you never got this email and I’ll never ask you about it.”

‘Then I got a text from him around three in the morning: “Oh! That’s very good. Let’s see.” And then we were very lucky that everything went well.’

Brett is doomed. He won two Emmy Awards for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2021 and 2022 for his role as Ted Lasso.

Along with Black Mirror writer Will Bridges, Brett created and wrote Soulmates, a six-episode science fiction series for AMC.

In 2022, Warner Bros. He signed a multi-year deal with Television and later appeared as Hercules in the mid-credits scene of Thor: Love and Thunder.

With his many credits under his belt, Brett was able to make an impressive net worth of $5 million.

When it comes to her love life, she tends to keep her personal life away from the spotlight.

Brett confirmed his romance with comedian Beth Rylance during his first Emmy acceptance speech in 2021.

He said: ‘I have been told very, very specifically that I am not allowed to swear, so this conversation will be very short.

‘Beth, I love you.’

However, after he landed his role in Thor the following year, the pair reportedly split.

A source told The Sun on Sunday: ‘They’re both going through exciting times in their careers and they’ve been really busy and they just couldn’t make it work.’

He is now said to be ‘getting close’ to his Office Romance co-star Jennifer.

Apart from their steamy on-screen relationship, there are also whispers of their ‘electric’ off-screen chemistry.

Jennifer, who split from ex-husband Ben Affleck in 2025, reportedly spent a lot of time with the comedian before filming began.

“It was an open secret during the shoot that Brett and J-Lo were on fire like a house on fire from the beginning and their chemistry was electric, which viewers will see,” a source said.

‘They were very touchy, emotional and laughing all the time and everyone suspected they were hanging out.’

Another insider told The Sun: ‘They were around each other during the wrap party, during dinner and while drinking with the rest of the cast.

‘They had so much fun filming; This is what Jen needed after Ben Affleck. It put a smile on his face.

‘There were a lot of jokes about Brett being the British version of Ben. ‘He was definitely a fan of her British charm and felt really taken care of on set.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Jennifer and Brett’s representatives for comment.

In September 2024, the duo will premiere the Broadway show Oh, Mary! Together they watch their co-star Betty Gilpin’s performance.

After filming wrapped, Jennifer told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that Brett was her favorite on-screen kiss.

“I’m going to say I just did a movie with Brett Goldstein and he’s the best kisser,” she gushed.

The official synopsis for the film was shared by Netflix in an Instagram post published on Monday.

Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein star in ‘OFFICE ROMANCE’. In the note written about the movie, which will be released on Netflix on June 5, it is a sensual romantic comedy about a secret office love and the trouble that two workaholics get into when they start thinking with their hearts.

Jennifer plays a CEO named Jackie Cruz who falls in love with a new employee named Daniel Blanchflower, played by Brett.

He told People on Monday that Jackie was a “workaholic, incredibly controlled, and not a distraction-seeking person.”

Brett is extremely quiet about his personal life but is said to be getting close to his co-star Jennifer (Photo taken on set in April 2025)

The Bronx native added: ‘Maybe some elements helped, but in real life, Jackie as a CEO and I as a CEO are incredibly different. Even though I work incredibly hard, I’m aware of work/life balance and prioritizing family and friends.’

The star also said yes immediately, stating that the film was a ‘classic romance with edgier modern humour.’ “I had back-to-back appointments for other projects, but I knew I had to make this movie, so we made it work,” the actress said. ‘I think that’s what we all need right now.’

He also raved about his co-star.

Siren said Brett ‘brings an incredibly calming and confident energy’ to her performance.

‘There’s something very solid and natural about him,’ he said.

‘He wasn’t trying to play romance or comedy because he was so funny in real life and incredibly charming and charming, it all came so naturally.’

Brett told the site that he and co-writer Joe Kelly crafted the script for Office Romance specifically for Jennifer.

“We started asking ourselves who the best romantic comedy star was, and without hesitation, we both said JLo,” said the star, who has praised the icon in the past.

‘And it was during a long train journey that we came up with the whole idea for the film. It’s easy to write a romantic comedy with JLo on your mind. He’s the best in this business. We just wanted to write something funny and smart enough to be worthy of her saying yes.’

Director Ol Parker also told People that the movie was overrated: ‘It’s pushing the envelope a little bit in terms of what people can expect from a Jennifer Lopez movie. He was very happy to do it and very funny while doing it.’

Office Romance will be released globally on Netflix on Friday, June 5, 2026.