British actor, writer and producer Brett Goldstein has attracted renewed attention following reports that he is casually dating American singer and actress Jennifer Lopez.
Goldstein, 46, and Lopez, 57, were recently seen together at a glamorous party in Los Angeles after months of speculation about their relationship.
The pair starred as romantic partners in the comedy film Office Romance, where their on-screen chemistry prompted rumours that their relationship had extended beyond the production.
Lopez, who separated from her husband Ben Affleck last year, previously praised Goldstein as “the best kisser” she had worked with. However, the pair had previously denied being romantically involved.
In June, Lopez said people frequently linked her romantically with individuals she was seen with or worked alongside.
“There’s never a time when I’m seen with somebody or working with somebody where they don’t try to put me with the person,” she said.
Before Ted Lasso, Goldstein Starred in an Unusual Lockdown Comedy
Before becoming widely recognised for his role in Ted Lasso, Goldstein appeared in a little-known comedy series created by his then-girlfriend, actress and writer Beth Rylance.
The series, titled Lone Island, was a spoof of the dating programme Love Island. It followed Goldstein playing Bradley Pee, a character from Peckham who went on dates with household objects during the COVID-19 lockdown.
With no other contestants available, Bradley found himself paired with objects including a houseplant and a football resembling a Muppet character.
The ten short episodes were filmed while Goldstein and Rylance were quarantining together in their south-east London flat. The series ran from March to August 2020, with its final episode released on August 3.
The finale featured the contestants’ last night in the villa and a sex-party challenge, followed by Bradley reflecting on the memories and connections he had made.
The series ended just 11 days before the first episode of Ted Lasso premiered on Apple TV+ on August 14, 2020.
Rylance, 35, shared the videos on her Instagram account, where she describes herself as an actress and writer and clarifies that she is not the daughter of actor Mark Rylance.
Goldstein and Beth Rylance Publicly Acknowledged Their Relationship
Goldstein and Rylance’s relationship became more widely known in September 2021, when he travelled to Los Angeles to receive his first Primetime Emmy Award for Ted Lasso.
During his acceptance speech, Goldstein declared his love for Rylance.
Ahead of the ceremony, she had joked on Instagram that her boyfriend was attending the Emmys as a nominee for Best Supporting Actor while she remained at home doing laundry.
The following day, Rylance shared a photograph of herself wearing an AFC Richmond football shirt bearing the name and number of Goldstein’s character, Roy Kent.
She captioned the picture: “Okay, but why isn’t anyone talking about ‘my’ Emmy’s look???”
The couple later separated. Their split became public in August 2022, when reports indicated that they had unfollowed each other on social media.
A source said at the time that their demanding careers had made the relationship difficult to maintain.
“They’re both in exciting times in their careers and really busy and they just couldn’t make it work,” the source said.
Failed Hollywood Auditions Left Goldstein Questioning His Future
Goldstein has spoken about the professional setbacks he experienced before landing his breakthrough role.
In interviews, he described years of taking small acting jobs, performing stand-up comedy and editing scripts written by other people without gaining significant recognition.
He also travelled to Hollywood on three separate occasions during the 2010s to pursue opportunities during television pilot season, returning to London without securing the success he had hoped for.
Goldstein said the repeated rejections eventually led him to wonder whether he had missed his opportunity to establish himself as an actor.
He recalled that although he continued working, the entertainment industry paid little attention to the projects he was producing.
The difficulties also affected his mental health, with Goldstein telling Men’s Health that he had struggled with depression during that period.
Gratitude Journalling Helped Goldstein Change His Outlook
During his career struggles, Goldstein began seeing a therapist who encouraged him to keep a gratitude journal.
The exercise involved writing down ten things he was grateful for every day. Although he initially found it difficult to complete the list, he gradually became more accustomed to identifying positive experiences.
He said he eventually trained himself to recognise the positive aspects of everyday life and could identify as many as 100 positive moments in a day.
The change in perspective helped him place less importance on achieving fame and focus more on maintaining a positive outlook.
Goldstein acknowledged that he still experienced difficult periods but said the practice had made a lasting difference.
He later described himself as a “20-year overnight success” following his breakthrough on Ted Lasso.
Bill Lawrence’s Call Changed Goldstein’s Career
Goldstein’s breakthrough began with a meeting in Los Angeles in 2017, when he travelled to the city to film a pilot for a comedy project that was never commissioned.
During that trip, he met producer Bill Lawrence. The pair remained in contact, and in 2019 Lawrence called Goldstein about a new series he was developing.
Lawrence believed Goldstein would be well suited to writing for Ted Lasso, the comedy about an American football coach appointed to manage a Premier League football club in England.
After a lengthy FaceTime conversation with Jason Sudeikis, who plays the title character, Goldstein joined the project and travelled to Los Angeles days later.
While working on the scripts, Goldstein began to identify with Roy Kent, an ageing footballer struggling with sadness, depression and anger as his playing career approached its end.
He subsequently recorded a secret audition tape featuring five scenes and sent it to the production team. The performance impressed those involved, and he was cast as Kent.
Roy Kent Role Earned Goldstein Two Emmy Awards
Ted Lasso became a major success after its premiere in 2020, attracting millions of viewers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Goldstein’s portrayal of Kent earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for each of the show‘s first two seasons.
The character’s difficulties adjusting to the prospect of retirement drew on Goldstein’s experiences of knowing professional footballers whose careers had ended.
He explained that he understood the emotional impact of leaving a sport that had shaped a person’s life.
“There’s a real sort of tragedy to that. No one wants to stop playing football — it’s just that your body can’t. That’s tragic,” he said in 2021.
Goldstein said he recognised Kent’s depression and anger and felt a strong personal connection to the character.
He also described his own career turning point as almost magical after years of believing his opportunity might have passed.
Marvel Role Expanded Goldstein’s Acting Career
Goldstein’s success on Ted Lasso opened the door to further opportunities in film and television.
In 2022, he made a surprise appearance in a post-credit scene in Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder, revealing his arrival in the franchise as Hercules.
The appearance prompted reports that Marvel was developing a project centred on the mythical character, although the precise format and release plans had not been confirmed in the supplied report.
Goldstein has also continued to develop his physique, which he showcased on the cover of the September issue of the UK edition of Men’s Health magazine.
Goldstein Built a Career Across Film, Television and Comedy
Born in Sutton, south London, Goldstein attended Warwick University, where he studied film.
He later moved to New York to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, completing his studies in 2003.
His early career included stand-up performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, short films and a television debut in two episodes of the police drama The Bill in 2009.
He subsequently appeared in Ricky Gervais’s comedy Derek and an episode of Doctor Who, while also developing a comedy podcast.
Goldstein went on to co-create the science-fiction series Soulmates and the comedy-drama Shrinking, which stars Harrison Ford.
He also signed a multi-year contract with Warner Bros.
His work on Office Romance has added another role to his career, with Goldstein serving as a writer and producer as well as starring opposite Lopez.
Office Romance Brings Goldstein and Lopez Together On Screen
In Office Romance, Goldstein and Lopez play characters involved in a secret workplace relationship.
Their performances led to speculation about a possible off-screen romance, although the pair previously rejected suggestions that they were dating.
Lopez addressed the rumours in June, saying that working with or being seen alongside someone often prompted relationship speculation.
Despite those comments, the pair’s recent appearance together in Los Angeles has renewed interest in their personal lives.
Reports now describe them as casually dating, although neither has publicly confirmed the relationship in the information provided.
Goldstein’s reported romance with Lopez comes after years of career setbacks, his rise to prominence through Ted Lasso and a growing portfolio of acting, writing and producing projects.
