About
"'Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose' means many things to me. Everybody who was involved with Friday Night Lights holds it very dear because it was thematically the heartbeat of our show. More importantly than that, it really did impact some of the members of our audience."
In her one-hour interview, Connie Britton talks about her early life and interest in acting, which eventually led to her studying under Sanford Meisner. She recalls being cast in her first feature film, The Brothers McMullen, as well as her first break in television, playing "Heather" on the series Ellen. She describes her time on Spin City as "Nikki Farber" and talks learning comedy from co-star Michael J. Fox. She recounts being cast in the movie version of Friday Night Lights by director Peter Berg, who then pursued her to appear in the television version. Britton discusses her five seasons on Friday Night Lights, speaks about the development of her character, "Tami Taylor," and touches on the show's sometimes controversial subject matter. She recalls her season on Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story, and talks about her then-current role of "Rayna Jaymes" on the hit ABC series Nashville. Adrienne Faillace conducted the interview on March 17, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA.
Highlights
Connie Britton on Friday Night Lights' catchphrase, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
Connie Britton on working with Michael J. Fox on Spin City
Connie Britton on the process of shooting and acting on Friday Night Lights
Connie Britton on playing "Vivien Harmon" on American Horror Story, created by Ryan Murphy
Connie Britton on the abortion storyline on Friday Night Lights
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On her early life and influences; on her interests growing up and deciding she wanted to be an actress; on studying acting with Sanford Meisner and being cast in "The Brothers McMullen"
On being cast as "Heather" on Ellen; on being cast as "Nikki Faber" on Spin City; on learning to play comedy for Spin City and working with Michael J. Fox
On being cast in the feature version of "Friday Night Lights"; on being cast as "Tami Taylor" on the television version of Friday Night Lights; on the process of shooting and acting on Friday Night Lights ; on her Friday Night Lights character "Tami Taylor" and how she developed over the series
On Kyle Chandler as "Eric Taylor" on Friday Night Lights; on the abortion storyline on Friday Night Lights; on Friday Night Lights' catchphrase and the legacy of the show
On playing "Vivien Harmon" on American Horror Story: Murder House; on playing "Rayna Jaymes" on Nashville; on advice to an aspiring actor
Shows
American Horror Story
Connie Britton on playing "Vivien Harmon" on American Horror Story: Murder House, created by Ryan Murphy
American Horror Story: Murder House
Connie Britton on playing "Vivien Harmon" on American Horror Story: Murder House, created by Ryan Murphy
Ellen
Connie Britton on being cast as "Heather" on Ellen
Friday Night Lights
Connie Britton on being cast on the television version of Friday Night Lights, created by Peter Berg
Connie Britton on the process of shooting and acting on Friday Night Lights
Connie Britton on her Friday Night Lights character, "Tami Taylor," and how she developed over the series
Connie Britton on Kyle Chandler as "Eric Taylor" on Friday Night Lights
Connie Britton on the abortion storyline on Friday Night Lights
Connie Britton on Friday Night Lights' catchphrase, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
Connie Britton on the legacy of Friday Night Lights
Spin City
Connie Britton on being cast as "Nikki Faber" on Spin City
Connie Britton on learning to television comedy for Spin City
Connie Britton on working with Michael J. Fox on Spin City
Topics
Characters & Catchphrases
Connie Britton on Friday Night Lights' catchphrase, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
Connie Britton on her Friday Night Lights character "Tami Taylor" and how she developed over the series
Connie Britton on her character "Rayna Jaymes" on Nashville
First Big Break
Connie Britton on being cast as "Heather" on Ellen
Pivotal Career Moments
Connie Britton on being cast as "Heather" on Ellen
Pop Culture
Connie Britton on Friday Night Lights' catchphrase, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
Connie Britton on her Friday Night Lights character, "Tami Taylor," and how she developed over the series
Connie Britton on her character "Rayna Jaymes" on Nashville
Professions
Actress
Connie Britton on studying acting with Sanford Meisner
Connie Britton on learning television comedy for Spin City
Connie Britton on the process of shooting and acting on Friday Night Lights
Performers
Connie Britton on studying acting with Sanford Meisner
Connie Britton on learning television comedy for Spin City
Connie Britton on the process of shooting and acting on Friday Night Lights
Genres
Comedy Series
Connie Britton on being cast as "Heather" on Ellen
Connie Britton on playing "Nikki Faber" on Spin City
Drama Series
Connie Britton on playing "Tami Taylor" on Friday Night Lights
Connie Britton on playing "Rayna Jaymes" on Nashville
Sci-Fi/Supernatural Series
Connie Britton on playing "Vivien Harmon" on American Horror Story: Murder House
People
Peter Berg
Connie Britton on being cast in the feature film version of "Friday Night Lights," directed by Peter Berg
Connie Britton on being cast in the television version of Friday Night Lights, created by Peter Berg
Michael J. Fox
Connie Britton on working with Michael J. Fox on Spin City
Ryan Murphy
Connie Britton on playing "Vivien Harmon" on American Horror Story: Murder House, created by Ryan Murphy