Brett Goldstein says a therapist gave him one daily assignment when he was dealing with depression before Ted Lasso made him widely known, write down 10 things that happened that day for which he felt grateful.
The 46-year-old actor discussed that period in a new Men’s Health UK cover interview, as reported by The Independent. At first, Goldstein said, finding even 10 entries felt difficult.
One of his earliest answers was simply that the sun had risen. By the 30th day, however, Goldstein said his attention had shifted enough that he felt capable of writing down 100 things he appreciated.
Goldstein said he still experiences “darker days,” while explaining that gratitude remains something he deliberately works at.
Goldstein Started With ‘The Sun Was Up’
Brett Goldstein admits to feeling depressed during one point in life
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“I was depressed,” Goldstein said while discussing the period before the breakthrough that followed Ted Lasso. His therapist gave him a gratitude journal and required him to list 10 things from each day that he appreciated. When Goldstein initially felt there was nothing to write, he had to start with the smallest details.
“The sun was up,” he recalled using as one entry. The important part of the exercise, as Goldstein described it, was that he still had to reach 10. Repeating that process changed what he noticed as he moved through each day.
“By day 30 of doing that, you’ve started training your brain to look for the positive,” he told Men’s Health UK. At that point, Goldstein said, a list that once seemed almost impossible could have stretched to 100 items. The full interview appears in the September 2026 issue of Men’s Health UK, with Goldstein on the cover.
He Says Gratitude Is Still Something He Has to Work At
“I still have darker days,” he said. “But gratitude helps.” He described noticing positive things as a skill rather than an automatic state of mind. Looking back on the exercise, Goldstein said it had changed him by teaching him that he could actively search for what was good instead of expecting those observations to arrive on their own.
His recollection also places the shift remarkably close to the professional breakthrough that transformed his career. In another account of the interview, Goldstein said that roughly two weeks after reaching a point where he could appreciate the fact that he was still getting to “make stuff” every day, he received the call about Ted Lasso.
Goldstein Says He Had Learned the Wrong Lessons About Masculinity
The conversation went beyond the gratitude journal. Goldstein also reflected on how ideas about masculinity had shaped the way he approached emotion and vulnerability. He said nobody in his household explicitly instructed him to suppress his feelings, but he nevertheless absorbed the broader message that “men aren’t supposed to show emotions.”
His own experiences as an adult began challenging that assumption. Goldstein recalled discovering that moments when he was unexpectedly vulnerable often went better than he had been taught to expect. “I guess I’ve been learning the wrong lessons,” he remembered thinking.
Goldstein connected that idea to other assumptions men can absorb about how they are supposed to look and behave. He recalled a professional bodybuilder who trained him in New York pointing to photographs of his physique and telling him, “Men love it. Women hate it.”
His Career Changed Shortly After That Difficult Period
Goldstein’s life before Ted Lasso looked very different from the career he has now. He was already an established comedian, writer and actor, but the Apple TV series turned Roy Kent into his breakout role. Goldstein won consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series in 2021 and 2022.
His involvement has always extended beyond appearing onscreen. Goldstein originally joined the series as a writer before deciding that he understood Roy well enough to send the producers a self-recorded audition for the part.
Since then, he has continued writing and producing while expanding into projects including Apple TV’s Shrinking, All of You and the Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy Office Romance.
He Is Back as Roy Kent in ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4
Goldstein’s interview arrives as Ted Lasso is in the middle of its fourth season after returning earlier this month. According to Apple TV’s official announcement, Season 4 premiered August 5 with Goldstein returning alongside Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Swift.
Goldstein also remains part of the creative team as a writer and executive producer. The 10-episode season follows Ted’s return to Richmond for a new challenge, coaching a second-division women’s football team. Apple is releasing one episode each Wednesday, with the finale scheduled for October 7.