Summary
After years of success on both the big and small screens, Alanna Ubach is being eyed for awards consideration for her work inTed. Ubach first broke out with her supporting role in theLegally Blondemovies as one of Elle’s best friends, Serena, before finding further success in the Ryan Reynolds-led restaurant comedyWaiting…, Nickelodeon’sEl Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Riveraand Pixar’sCoco. More recently, Ubach has been seen inHBO’sEuphoria, starring as the mom to Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie and Maude Apatow’s Lexi, as well as Max’sThe Flight Attendantand the Oscar-nominatedBombshell.
InSeth MacFarlane’sTed, Ubach stars as Susan Bennett, the mom of Max Burkholder’s John and pseudo-mother figure to the titular talking teddy bear. Previously portrayed by Alex Borstein in the original 2012 movie, Ubach brings a completely different approach to the Bennett matriarch, showing a far more reserved and easygoing persona as she deals with both of the teenage boys and their wild antics, as well as her explosive husband, Scott Grimes' Matty. Through season 1, viewers also learn more of her past, including how she was nearly an English teacher, and how she first met Matty.
Ted Prequel Show’s 10 Best Easter Eggs & Movie References
The Ted prequel show is full of references to the movies (and other Seth MacFarlane projects), as well as nods to the pop culture of its ’90s setting.
Alongside Ubach, Burkholder and Grimes,the ensembleTedcastincludes MacFarlane reprising the titular role, Giorgia Whigham as John’s cousin Blaire, Marissa Shankar, Ara Hollyday, Liz Richman, Jack Seavor McDonald, Julius Sharpe and Penny Johnson Jerald. Sitting with both a 72% approval rating from critics and 90% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, the prequel show has proven to revive the fantasy comedy franchise in a major way, holding the franchise’s record for the highest scores on the review aggregate.
In honor of awards season promotion,Screen Rantinterviewed Alanna Ubach to discussTed’s success, how it feels to expand a pre-established character and what to expect from the about-to-begin-filming season 2. Ubach also shares an update on the long-awaitedEuphoriaseason 3, teases what’s to come from her villain inTales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesand her potential return forLegally Blonde 3.
Ubach Feels Blessed By HerTedRole & Has “Never Experienced” Fan Support Like The Show’s
While having taken part in a number of popular franchises before, Ubach reflects onher time withTedseason 1as one of the most special in her career, particularly due to the fan support she and the prequel show have received, expressing she’s “never experienced anything like it”:
Alanna Ubach: The love that you get from these fans, it’s phenomenal. I’ve never experienced anything like it. To make people so happy and to just enjoy something that gives them so much joy is just a gift to me.
In discussing how she approached playing the character in comparison to Alex Borstein’s portrayal in the original movie, Ubach explains that the key was to “follow the story”, praising the scripts for allowing her to “start from page 1” and form her own identity for Susan:
Alanna Ubach: Oh, you just follow the story. You’re just like, “Okay, this is her. Washing dishes, this is her.” We already saw her freaking out when the teddy bear comes to life, but you just have to go with it. And obviously, when I was hired, I thought, “Oh, I guess they don’t want anything near Alex Borstein’s character.” [Chuckles] And that’s okay, and we’re just going to start from page 1, and see if this works. And it did, and I’m just so happy about that.
Forging this separate identity further expanded to balancing Susan’s life in the family with her past dreams, with Ubach, in particular, feeling one of the more important elements was to “establish why this woman would stay with a man like Matty for so long”:
That’s a great question. For me, it was so important to establish why this woman would stay with a man like Matty for so long. This woman who was just so sweet and pure and innocent. And I think in “Desperately Seeking Susan”, we explore that’s why she’s with him. To her, she’s the yin to his yang, and I think it’s quite beautiful. Even though she did have these dreams of becoming an English teacher and knows so much more than we thought she did. Hopefully, she will still be full of surprises.
Building A Family Rapport Was “Very Easy” For Ubach (Even If 1 Star Consistently Broke During Scenes)
While the first twoTedmovies were more of a buddy comedy between Mark Wahlberg’s John and MacFarlane’s titular character, the TV show aims for more of a family comedy, with the entire Bennett family getting scenes together and playing off of each other. Ubach recalls this family rapport being “very easy” to form with her co-stars, describing their bond as being more like they “had been doing 10 seasons” of the show rather than it being their first time working together:
Alanna Ubach: Very easy. They are the sweetest, nicest people. Giorgia, Max, Scott, they’re very familiar. It’s the only way I can explain it. You feel as if you’ve known them for years. They have that thing about them, and when we were shooting episode 1, it was like we had been doing 10 seasons on it, and we were just really, really set, and fit very well together. That’s sometimes very hard to make believable when you’re not really gelling with the other actor, but I think we were all just so aware of the fact that this is such a blessing, and to be given this gig, it’s high stakes. We’re there to make it as believable as possible, it’s really easy to love all of them.
With the show delivering so many gut-busting moments for them all, Ubach acknowledges that there were a few season 1 scenes that made her break while filming. Ultimately, however, she points towards another of her co-stars as being far more susceptible to breaking character, though she “wouldn’t have it any other way”:
Alanna Ubach: I was having a conversation with a lady about an hour ago, and we were talking about that. “Who is the one that breaks the most?” Scott, he laughs at everything. He’s a laugher, he’s a giggler, and he’s constantly giggling all the time, and we’d have to go do it over and over and over again. [Laughs] “Scott! Come on, man, we all want to go home.” He’s like, “[Giggles] Sorry.” But it’s so sweet and endearing, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The banana eating scene. I thought, “What is happening here?” And then, you can hear people on the crew trying to stifle a laugh, which makes you laugh. It’s very contagious.
Ubach Looks At Awards Consideration As “Insane” (Though May Geek Out At Others In Attendance)
While no nominations have been announced for the Emmys at the time of writing, NBCUniversal is looking to promote Ubach and her co-stars for nominations in all Comedy Series categories, made even more likely thanks to the show’s positive reception and record-breaking viewership. Ubach looks at this consideration as “incredible”, while also humorously acknowledging that she is likely to fan out on others in attendance after her last trip to the Golden Globes:
Alanna Ubach: I’ve never won anything, so this would be really exciting. No, I won third place in a writing contest when I was in the seventh grade. But to be a part of this ensemble, for it to be nominated, that would be just incredible, wouldn’t it? Oh my gosh, it’d be insane. I have a wedding gown that needs to be worn again, and if I get invited to the Emmys, that’s what I’m wearing. I’m wearing my wedding gown. I’m going to have it dyed, maybe a navy blue or something, maybe shortened a little bit, and I’m wearing that again. [Chuckles]
I’m joking, I’m definitely in it for the free dinner and the booze. Just meeting all those people that you see on television all the time. I screamed when I was invited to the Golden Globes, and to see the entire cast of Succession coming up an escalator as I was going down. I surprised myself. I went, “Ah, Succession!” like a real jerk. Like one of those, I fanned out on them, and I surprised myself. But it’s a lot of fun.
TedSeason 2 Will Be “Funnier” Than Season 1 (“If You Can Believe That”)
With season 1 of the show having already set a strong bar for the prequel,Tedseason 2has a lot to live up to for fans of the franchise. Thankfully for viewers, Ubach assures that the next season will be “funnier than the first season, if you can believe that”:
Alanna Ubach: I think you can expect this, it’s funnier than the first season, if you can believe that. I don’t know how these writers come up with these situations. It’s just crazy. They’re just so freaking talented. I’m a little jealous of these writers, they come up with these hysterical things. It’s just so good.
As revealed recently by Grimes, readthroughs are already underway for the show’s next season, which typically indicates that a filming start is right around the corner, though Ubach notes she’s “not sure” whenTedseason 2’s production will kick off:
Alanna Ubach: I’m not sure. You will be the first to know. I’ll give you a call, give me your cell phone number, and I will text you from the set, and I’ll say, “Baby, we’re going. We’re rolling.” I’ll FaceTime you. “Grant, it’s happening. Wake up!” [Chuckles]
In looking back at the movies and which characters she’d like to see return for the show’s future, Ubach quickly points to Mila Kunis, who played John’s girlfriend Lori in the firstTed, and Amanda Seyfried, who played the titular bear’s lawyer and John’s love interest Sam, in the 2015 sequel, mostly because she’s a fan of both actors:
Alanna Ubach: Oh gosh, that’s a good one. Kunis, little Miss Kunis. Why not? Oh, I’ve always wanted to meet her. She’s so beautiful. That’d be a lot of fun. And Amanda, of course, she’s just a doll. Those girls, those children, their mothers and fathers did great jobs, let me tell you. There’s some good raising there.
EuphoriaSeason 3 Is “Definitely Rolling”
One of Ubach’s other major roles on television in recent years has been on HBO’sEuphoria, whose already renewed season 3 has experienced a variety of delays due to creative retoolings from creator Sam Levinson and the busy schedules of its star-studded cast. Despite the pushbacks, Ubach assures thatEuphoriaseason 3"definitely is rolling", and shares her thoughts on why it’s taking so long to get made:
Alanna Ubach: Well, it definitely is rolling. I think Sam right now is writing it, and I think that the stakes are really high, because seasons 1 and 2 really affected people. So, season 3 carries a lot of weight and pressure, so I don’t know when they start filming. I’m looking forward to seeing what Sam has in store for season 3. He’s just such a genius, that guy. So cool.
Ubach’sTales Of The Teenage Mutant NinjaMutant-Hunting Villain Is “Spooky”
In addition toEuphoriaseason 3 andTedseason 2, Ubach’s upcoming docket will see her playingthe villain Bishop inTales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Paramount+ show companion to 2023’s hitMutant Mayhemmovie. In addition to praising the show for delivering something “really unique” and casting age-appropriate actors. For her character, Ubach is careful not to share too much about her motivations, but teases her inspirations for her “spooky” performance:
Alanna Ubach: This is lovely, and there’s something that’s really unique that they’ve added to this. The animation itself, it’s a lot of fun, and a lot of young voiceover actors are in it. That’s what I think makes it really special. These are kids. These are kids playing the Turtles, and it’s so fun. It’s so cute. It’s so good. What’s so fun is I had no idea what she looked like until the first day of recordings, they showed me her picture.
I was like, “Ooh, this is going to be easy. Now I know what to do with her.” And it is just so much fun. The way she’s animated is so funny. And yeah, she reminds me of all of the teachers I feared growing up around. All of those teachers in parochial school. Pull out your books. Yeah, she’s spooky. Gosh, what people do in their spare time. She’s all about the Turtles.
One of Ubach’s first major roles was as Elle’s sorority sister Serena inLegally Blondeand its 2003 sequel, while the franchise has since gone on to have a threequel languishing in development hell, a Broadway musical and an in-development prequel TV show. Ubach is not only thrilled to watch the prequel, but also teases that she has “sort of” had talks tostar inLegally Blonde 3, though notes “your guess is as good as mine” as to whether she will actually be there:
Alanna Ubach: Yes, a prequel. I can’t wait to watch that. Elle the prequel, this is her as a little chicken right before she becomes a USC student. Well, right before she goes to college, and I’m really looking forward to seeing that. I just saw the musical for the first time and I loved it. Sort of. I don’t know if I can really say anything about it, really. I don’t know. I mean, honestly, your guess is as good as mine. The funny thing about being a character actor is you’re usually called a week before they start production. “Hey, you’re playing Serena.” “I am?” “Yeah, you start Monday, you’re going to wardrobe tomorrow, blah, blah, blah. And there you go. All right, let’s go.”
You have to be game for anything. I had the pleasure of doing a readthrough, a new script with Reese’s son, and he is phenomenal. He’s a phenomenal actor, and I think he was taking someone’s place at the last minute, so they called him that morning, and so he was just reading it and coming up with this character spur of the moment, and he killed it. I was so impressed by just his timing and being very comfortable in his skin, which is really hard to do when you’re in your twenties. I was really, really impressed.
AboutTed
In this comedic prequel event series to the Ted films, it’s 1993, and Ted the bear’s (Seth MacFarlane) moment of fame has passed. He’s now living back home in Framingham, Massachusetts with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett (Max Burkholder), along with John’s parents, Matty and Susan (Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach) and cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham). Ted may be a lousy influence on John, but at the end of the day, he’s a loyal pal who’s always willing to go out on a limb for friendship.
Ted
Cast
Ted is a prequel TV series to the comedy franchise of the same name by Seth MacFarlane. The TV show brings MacFarlane back as the voice of the talking teddy bear Ted, who is growing up in the ’90s with John Bennett and his family. Ted is a Peacock original series that premiered in January 2024.
