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He is quickly taking over Hollywood after ‘accidentally’ becoming a breakout star on Ted Lasso in 2020.
Brett Goldstein was originally hired as a writer but made himself a household name as the beloved, foul-mouthed AFC Richmond team captain-turned-coach, Roy Kent.
Since then, the British actor, 45, has taken on a growing number of roles behind and in front of the camera.
He is now leading Netflix’s new comedy, Office Romance, starring opposite Jennifer Lopez, with whom he is rumoured to be ‘growing close’ to.
Joking about his sudden claim to fame, he has quipped that he was ‘a 20-year overnight success!’ adding, ‘but I get it. Nobody saw me before.’
So who is this star who is cementing his place in Hollywood and said to be ‘dating’ an A-lister? Here, the Daily Mail takes a look.
Brett was born in Sutton in the south London suburbs into a Jewish family.
His dad created his love for the Tottenham Hotspur football team, which inspired Ted’s motto about it being the hope that kills you.
After finishing up at school, he went on to graduate from Warwick University with a degree in film studies.
He briefly relocated to Marbella, Spain, to work at a strip club which his father purchased during a ‘midlife 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 living in Marbella into a stand-up show 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 self-written thriller Wish You Were Here.
In 2009, he made his TV debut in two episodes of ITV’s long-running police drama The Bill.
He then made appearances in several comedy series, such as the BBC’s Uncle and E4’s Drifters.
But his first big break wasn’t until he starred as 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: ‘On my first day I was quite nervous – big f**king deal, working with Ricky Gervais, and it was my first big TV job – and I did take one, and he said, “Perfect! Let’s move on.”
‘And I think he said, “I trust The Force: it looked good, felt good, I liked it. I don’t want s**tloads of options in the edit. I trust it, let’s move on.”
‘That’s really inspiring, and sometimes I’m like that and sometimes I’m not. At some point you do just have to trust, because you can drive yourself insane.’
In 2015, Brett wrote and starred in the superhero film SuperBob and had a guest appearance on Catherine Tate’s Nan.
In 2016, he won the BIFA for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Brendan int the comedy film Adult Life Skills.
Two years later, he starred in Doctor Who and went on to launch a successful podcast, Films To Be Buried.
TV producer Bill Lawrence hired Brett as a writer for the 2020 Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso.
However, he almost passed up the opportunity due to the short notice.
He told Entertainment Weekly: ‘I was like, I’ve got some gigs. I’ve got some stand-up shows booked.
‘And he was like, “You’re f**king mad if you turn this down for some stand-up gigs”.’
Brett initially worked as a writer and executive story editor, but was later cast as Rory Kent after submitting an unsolicited audition.
He told Vulture: ‘I still can’t believe it worked out, and I also can’t believe that I did it — basically, as we were writing it, I just started to think I could play Roy; I really get it.
‘So on my last day in the writers’ room, the night before, I [recorded a tape], five scenes as Roy, without telling anyone, and then I sent an email to Bill [Lawrence] and said, “I’ve been thinking I could play Roy… but if this is embarrassing, you can pretend you never got this email, and I will never ask you about it.”
‘Then I got a message from him at like three in the morning, going, “Oh! This is good. Let’s see.” And then very luckily it all went ahead.’
Brett ended up winning two Emmy Awards for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Ted Lasso in 2021 and 2022.
Together with Black Mirror writer Will Bridges, Brett created and wrote a six-part science fiction series, Soulmates, for AMC.
In 2022, he then signed a multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television and later appeared as Hercules in the mid-credits scene of Thor: Love and Thunder.
With so many credits under his belt, Brett has managed to earn an impressive net worth of $5M.
As for his love life, he tends to keep his personal life away from the spotlight.
In 2021, Brett confirmed his romance with comedian Beth Rylance during his acceptance speech for his first Emmy.
He said: ‘I was very, very specifically told I’m not allowed to swear, so this speech is going to be f***ing short.
‘Beth, I love you.’
However, the following year, it was reported that the pair had split after he landed his role in Thor.
A source told The Sun on Sunday: ‘They’re both in exciting times in their careers and really busy and they just couldn’t make it work.’
Now he is said to be ‘growing close’ to his Office Romance co-star Jennifer.
Aside from their sizzling relationship onscreen, there have been whispers about their ‘electric’ chemistry offscreen.
Jennifer, who split from with her ex-husband Ben Affleck in 2025, has reportedly spent a lot of time with the comedian before filming even started.
‘It was an open secret during filming about Brett and J-Lo – they got on like a house on fire from the start, and the chemistry was electric, which viewers will see’, a source said.
‘They were very touchy, feely, and always laughing, and everyone suspected they were hooking up.’
Another insider told The Sun: ‘During the wrap party, they were all over each other during the dinner and drinks with the rest of the cast.
‘They had a lot of fun while shooting; it was just what Jen needed after Ben Affleck. He put a smile on her face.
‘There were quite a few jokes about Brett just being the British version of Ben. She was definitely a fan of his British charm and really felt looked after on set.’
Daily Mail has contacted Jennifer’s and Brett’s representatives for comment.
In September 2024, the duo were spotted at the Broadway show Oh, Mary! Together, watching their co-star Betty Gilpin perform.
And after filming was completed, Jennifer told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that Brett was her favourite on-screen kiss.
‘I’m gonna say I just did a movie with Brett Goldstein, and I would say he was the best kisser’, she gushed.
An official synopsis for the movie was shared by Netflix in a Monday Instagram post.
‘Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein star in OFFICE ROMANCE. A raunchy romantic comedy about a secret office romance and the trouble two workaholics get in when they start thinking with their hearts,’ the note read about the film that debuts on Netflix on June 5.
Jennifer plays a CEO named Jackie Cruz, who falls for a new employee named Daniel Blanchflower, played by Brett.
She told People on Monday that Jackie is a ‘workaholic, incredibly controlled and not looking for distractions.’
The Bronx native added: ‘Perhaps elements helped, but in real life Jackie as a CEO and myself as a CEO are incredibly different. Although I work incredibly hard I understand the balance of work/life and prioritising family and friends.’
The star also noted that the film is ‘a classic romance, with modern edgier humour’ so she said yes right away. ‘I was booked back to back with other projects, but I knew I had to do this movie, so we made it work,’ the actress shared. ‘I think it’s exactly what we all need right now.’
She also raved about her co-star.
The siren said Brett ‘brought an amazing calming and self assured energy’ to his performance.
‘There’s something very grounded and natural about him,’ she said.
‘He wasn’t trying to play the romance or the comedy because he is hilariously funny in real life and incredibly charming and appealing, it all just felt so natural.’
Brett told the site that he and cowriter Joe Kelly created the script for Office Romance specifically for Jennifer.
‘We started asking ourselves who the best rom-com star is, and without hesitation, we both said JLo,’ said the star who has in the past raved about the icon.
‘And within the space of a long train journey, we had the whole idea for the film. It’s easy to write a rom-com when you have JLo in mind. She’s the best at this stuff. 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 film is over the top: ‘It pushes the envelope slightly for what people might expect from a Jennifer Lopez movie. She was delighted to do that and very funny doing it.’
Office Romance will premiere globally on Netflix on Friday, June 5, 2026.
