Jason Segel was the one who suggested casting Brett Goldstein for the role. Goldstein plays a deep and important character in Shrinking, but he recalls having doubts about whether he was right for the part.
While speaking on Vulture’s Good One podcast, Goldstein told host Jesse David Fox that showrunner Bill Lawrence originally didn’t plan to cast him as Louis in the Apple TV+ dramedy.
In Shrinking, Louis causes the main event that sets off the story: he was drunk driving and ended up killing Jimmy’s (Jason Segel) wife. Her death sends Jimmy into deep grief, and he struggles to connect with his daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell).
Louis represents a look at accidental killers and whether people can feel sympathy for someone who made a deadly mistake. It’s a very sensitive role, and Goldstein said he wasn’t supposed to play it at first.
Jason Segel, it was his idea, called us into his trailer and he said, ‘Why isn’t Brett doing this?
Goldstein recalled
Goldstein also said that Lawrence didn’t think he was the right choice for the role, joking that the showrunner had been honest about this in interviews with different media outlets.
Bill sent me a very sweet text where he said, I believe in you as an artist and if you think you can do this, I will back you and support you. And I said, ‘Thank you, Bill, that means a lot.’ And he said, ‘But this entire season rests on his character and if you f— it up, you kill Shrinking.’ And I said, ‘Okay, thanks.’
Goldstein said
Fortunately, the season was a success, and Lawrence told The Hollywood Reporter that he “almost blew it” by not casting Goldstein. His doubt came from the fact that Goldstein had played the tough Roy Kent on Ted Lasso so well for three seasons, he wasn’t sure how viewers would react.
Once he got on board with casting Goldstein, Lawrence had one requirement for the former Ted Lasso star to get the role: he had to shave off the facial hair.
Source: EW