A gratitude journal changed that

Brett Goldstein said: "I was depressed” in the years before Ted Lasso made him a household name, and that a therapist’s suggestion to keep a gratitude journal “changed” him.

Goldstein said his therapist made him list at least 10 things he was grateful for every day.

“In the beginning, when you’re so, so depressed, it’s like, ‘Nothing’. But you have to put 10 in, ‘The sun was up.’ That’s one.

"You start so small. But by day 30 of doing that, you’ve started training your brain to look for the positive.”

"It really had changed me, built new synapses, whatever it is," the actor added.

"You can look for the good. It’s a skill, or, something you have to work at. I don’t always achieve it. I still have darker days.

"Gratitude helps."

The candour lands differently given his TV role in Roy Kent.

Brett's character, a growling former player turned assistant coach at the fictional club is practically a monument to bottled-up feeling.

The show was an instant hit in 2020, earning the most Emmy nominations ever received by a first-season comedy, and Goldstein won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a comedy in 2021 and 2022.

Irish viewers can find Ted Lasso season 4 on Apple TV, see also our rundown of the best Apple TV shows.

Goldstein still has the darker days. He just has a longer list to read back.