Keeley Hazell, the former Page 3 model who inspired the character of Keeley Jones in Apple TV's hit series Ted Lasso, has revealed she was initially told the role was written for her, but ultimately lost it to Juno Temple after being forced to audition. Hazell, 39, shared her story ahead of her debut Edinburgh Fringe show, Everyone's Seen My Tits.
Character Named and Based on Her
Before Ted Lasso was commissioned in 2019, Hazell says her friend, writer and star Jason Sudeikis, told her he was working on a football comedy and had written a character inspired by – and for – her. 'The character was named and based on me with the intent of me playing myself in the show,' she told Metro. However, as production began, she was told the part wasn't guaranteed and she'd need to audition, citing 'the powers that be in the industry'.
'I had to audition because I didn't have the resume that would allow me to just be given the part – even though it was named and based on me with the intent of me playing myself,' she recalled. 'During that process, they went out on a direct offer to the actress who plays the part. It was devastating.'
The Sting of Losing the Role
That actress was Juno Temple, who had already starred in Atonement, Dirty John, Maleficent, Wild Child, and St Trinians, and had grown up in a film industry family. 'It stung for a variety of reasons,' Hazell admitted. 'It was based on her having more experience, and I think when one examines that, the easy answer – and what I think the general public go to – is the devaluing of me and maybe my skill set versus the examining of how Hollywood operates and how one is allowed experience and one gains experience. It's sort of a catch 22. You know, maybe having parents in the industry as the actress who plays Keeley does.'
Despite the setback, Hazell went on to appear in seven episodes of Ted Lasso in a minor role, playing Bex, the girlfriend of Rupert Mannion. 'I have scenes with her [Juno], we've met, and she's a fantastic, wonderful woman,' she said. 'You can't blame an actress for taking a part. No hard feelings against her at all.'
From Page 3 to Hollywood
Hazell's journey to the brink of stardom began in a council estate in South East London, where she endured an abusive and turbulent childhood. At 18, she won The Sun's Page 3 Idol competition and appeared topless for around 3.9 million readers. 'We really didn't have any money. I left school aged 16 to get a job and my prospects were quite slim. So modelling and Page 3 became a route in which I could advance socially and make money that I wouldn't in any other way,' she explained.
While she initially insisted it was empowering, she later admitted she had lied about her true feelings. 'It was fun and exciting in this whole new world that I had never been exposed to, but yet in the same breath, it's also f**king crazy that there was a topless model on the third page of a newspaper,' she said. 'I think the objectification that comes with that and the misogynistic messaging it gives out, I struggle with. And also the age. It's crazy to me that some of these models were 16 and then when I modelled, I had just turned 18. I'm a teenager. In that regard, I think there's such a profound exploitation – and that's really hard to reconcile with.'
Stigma and Career Struggles
The Page 3 persona, crafted largely by men to make money, followed her into her acting career. 'People also couldn't understand in the US. They would Google me and ask "are you a porn star?"' she remembered. 'It definitely stopped me getting a lot of jobs because there is just so much stigma against women who are nude or present themself in such a way, and that's just the misogynistic nature or the reality of being a woman.'
In 2007, an abusive ex-boyfriend stole a sex tape from her home and leaked it to the press. Hazell decided to be open about her traumas to reclaim her narrative. 'I do sometimes go back and forth on that and wonder if I should be exposing myself in such a way?' she asked. 'But in order to have agency over one's life and the things that have happened, you have to speak towards it.'
Working on Ted Lasso: A Complex Experience
Being cast in a minor role on Ted Lasso was 'incredibly complicated' for Hazell. 'It was like having a crumb of a cake, right? Somebody's got the cake and so my options were to take crumbs and be a part of it or not at all, when it's going to happen with or without me. So yes, it was incredibly complex, but also what a great experience to be a part of such a phenomenal show.'
On set, she was asked if she wanted to talk to Juno about her Keeley and was asked about her accent and 'all sorts of things' to help with characterisation. She declined the offer. 'I was like, you can look me up,' she said with a chuckle. Another 'surreal moment' came when she was given gel boob enhancers to pass on to Juno. 'It was a really bizarre experience, because my whole career was based on boobs. And then there were these like chicken fillets, and I was giving them to somebody else for her to emulate me,' she recalled.
Seeing Herself in Juno's Keeley
Asked if she sees any of herself in Juno's Keeley, Hazell said: 'Yes, and yes, I find it incredibly irritating. But it's also just somebody else's idea, or the sides of me that they have seen, and decided to enhance. Sure, I definitely see elements of myself – even though I find them incredibly annoying.'
The character's success has also overshadowed her own identity. 'A theme of the Edinburgh Fringe show is that there's a persona created for me that's out of my control and a character that's created based on me which is also out of my control, and I'm voiceless with it,' she said. 'It's an exploration of class, identity, and erasure.'
She has even stopped wearing her favourite gold 'Keeley' name necklace because the character wore it on the show. 'The name necklace is a representation of identity based on names that aren't as common; you can't get them on mugs when you go places in Spain. Where the name necklace originates from is a very working-class representation. So for it to be on the character, it's almost like, oh, this is taking something without understanding its meaning. I'm representing something and this character has become almost bigger than me and much more well known – and the actress playing her makes s**t ton of money, is nominated for an Emmy, while the show's become incredibly wealthy and famous, and I haven't had the same experience.'
Not Watching the New Season
Hazell will not be watching the new season of Ted Lasso, which premiered on August 5. 'No, Apple is really expensive, so I don't think I'm going to be watching it. I mean, you have to be wealthy to have a subscription to Apple, right?'
Metro contacted representatives of Ted Lasso for comment, but they did not provide a response before publication.
Keeley Hazell's debut show Everyone's Seen My Tits is on at 17.40 throughout August in Bunker Two at Pleasance Courtyard at the Edinburgh Fringe.
