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(Were patriots in this house!)
While … well, you get the gist, dont you?
(You could try sticking together at a different house for a change, he mumbles in thepremiere.)
Its funny, when I discussStranger Thingswith friends, it seems the conversation always turns to Ted.
Hes been described as everything from useless, apathetic, an inspiration, to a quintessential 80s dad.
Ted is like that.
Even though there wasnt a lot there for Ted, hes a loving dad.
Like a lot of dads I saw while my kids were growing up, they focus on being providers.
They think thats more important than their time.
When we see Ted, hes wiped out from work.
I never approach it like he doesnt care.
Karen, who was a lot more involved in the first few seasons, has tapered off.
With season four, there are so many stories to tell.
If you start veering toward the parent lanes, you get taken off the story.
But in season one in particular, I got so many letters.
I started doing Cameo for fun, and so many people have responded to Ted.
They gravitate toward that What did I doooo?
Im told, Thats how I always feel:What the hell did I do?
Its whats there on the page for Ted.
If youre napping while Hawkins burns, thats what youre doing.
Were defined by our actions.
I feel like thats in all of my characters.
Was he described in the script in a distinct way?
They love writing his lines.
My daughter was all over the running thing.
I was a lot more out of breath than Id care to admit.
I was bent over.
I taped part of my audition from the driving range, but it never materialized.
The speculation is that hes with the CIA is he part of it?
Will it merge with the story?
Im very curious about that.
With season five, Id like to see, as would a lot of us, more of Ted.
But as the show has progressed, Im starting to feel like were not going to see that.
Theres so many stories to tell right now that need to be tied up.
It doesnt seem like theres room for a Karen-and-Ted story.
Does thinking of a backstory for a guy like Ted interest you?
Regardless of how small the role is, I answer all of those questions for myself.
Its not like theyre even playable things, but knowing theyre there for me is helpful.
It makes Ted more of a human for me.
Were you bummed that Karen came close to cheating on him last season?I was.
Its funny, because me and the other actors always speculated that Ted was the one having an affair.
So it was pretty shocking to see Karen consider that.
I think fans were relieved that it didnt happen.
Did you want to see it?
And always taking care of her while her mom was out having coffee with the girls.
Whats the story behind Teds snazzy glasses?They are my personal glasses!
Ive kept a lot of my frames through the years, unless theyve been smashed playing sports.
Strangely, those were my personal eyeglasses in ninth grade.
So the show put my current prescription in them to wear.
Ted really loves his family and would do really well in that Upside Down scenario.
Its the 80s, too.
Its a chance for Ted to fight for his country.
Im sure he served in the military.
The dudes a patriot, for Gods sake.
