When Nick Mohammed was announced to be joining the cast of Slow Horses Season 5, I was a little surprised. Not because I don’t like the Ted Lasso star, quite the opposite, but the tone of the spy thriller is very different from most of Mohammed’s previous work, which was primarily in comedy. I’ve been watching him blossom in Slow Horses with my Apple TV subscription, and the gig is definitely not comedic. For the actor, that was refreshing, as we discussed when I spoke with him recently.
To be fair, Mohammed’s Ted Lasso character Nate, has one of the most dramatic arcs on the popular show. He goes from naive ballboy for Richmond AFC to “Wonderkid” manager at West Ham. Fans see his journey from the nicest character on the show to the most diabolical, before getting redemption at the end. It proved that Mohammed can handle any kind of role, and he goes even further in Slow Horses. So, when I got to talk to him about the new gig, Mohammed admitted to me it’s been “a bit of a challenge.”
It’s always a real treat to do something that is a bit of a challenge, or sort of slightly out of your wheelhouse, and playing Jaffrey in Slow Horses was no different.
His character on the Apple TV thriller, fictional London Mayor Zafar Jaffrey, isn’t meant to be funny, and so far, four episodes in, we’re not exactly sure just what kind of man he is. However, there are hints he isn’t who he presents himself to be. It certainly seems that he’s at least not as mild-mannered as he presents himself to be.
Still, while the roles are different, like Nate in Ted Lasso, there are opportunities to use his comedic skills too, as he said:
I would say Slow Horses does have that real kind of satirical edge to it. There were moments when I could sort of lean into the comedy, albeit it’s played a lot straighter, and it’s definitely the straightest role that I think I’ve done to date, probably. Even straighter than Nate, because Nate had so much fun stuff in Season 1.
Of course, as Ted Lasso went on, Nate’s world got darker and darker, and it seems like Jaffrey on Slow Horses could be going down a similar path. Where that path goes, we’ll just have to keep watching to find out.
But What About More Ted Lasso?
Still, I couldn’t help but ask if any paths would be leading Mohammed back to Season 4 of Ted Lasso, which is in production now. His response?
I’m afraid you’ll have to just wait and see.
Like Jaffrey in Slow Horses, Mohammed will keep us guessing for now.
