Connie Britton

Actress


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About
About this interview

In her one-hour Archive 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.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"'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."

People Talking About ...
Highlights
Connie Britton on Friday Night Lights' catchphrase, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
03:36
Connie Britton on working with Michael J. Fox on Spin City 
02:41
Connie Britton on the process of shooting and acting on Friday Night Lights
04:40
Connie Britton on playing "Vivien Harmon" on American Horror Story, created by Ryan Murphy
04:41
Connie Britton on the abortion storyline on Friday Night Lights
03:29
Full Interview

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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; on playing "Rayna Jaymes" on Nashville; on advice to an aspiring actor
Shows

American Horror Story

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Connie Britton on playing "Vivien Harmon" on American Horror Story, created by Ryan Murphy
04:41

Ellen

View Show Page
Connie Britton on being cast as "Heather" on Ellen
01:14

Friday Night Lights

View Show Page
Connie Britton on being cast on the television version of Friday Night Lights, created by Peter Berg
03:46
Connie Britton on the process of shooting and acting on Friday Night Lights
04:45
Connie Britton on her Friday Night Lights character, "Tami Taylor," and how she developed over the series
02:59
Connie Britton on Kyle Chandler as "Eric Taylor" on Friday Night Lights
02:26
Connie Britton on the abortion storyline on Friday Night Lights
03:29
Connie Britton on Friday Night Lights' catchphrase, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
03:36
Connie Britton on the legacy of Friday Night Lights
02:22

Spin City

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Connie Britton on being cast as "Nikki Faber" on Spin City
01:23
Connie Britton on learning to television comedy for Spin City
02:41
Connie Britton on working with Michael J. Fox on Spin City 
02:41
Topics

Characters & Catchphrases

View Topic
Connie Britton on Friday Night Lights'  catchphrase, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
03:36
Connie Britton on her Friday Night Lights character "Tami Taylor" and how she developed over the series
02:59
Connie Britton on her character "Rayna Jaymes" on Nashville
02:52

First Big Break

View Topic
Connie Britton on being cast as "Heather" on Ellen
01:14

Pivotal Career Moments

View Topic
Connie Britton on being cast as "Heather" on Ellen
01:14

Pop Culture

View Topic
Connie Britton on Friday Night Lights' catchphrase, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
03:36
Connie Britton on her Friday Night Lights character, "Tami Taylor," and how she developed over the series
02:59
Connie Britton on her character "Rayna Jaymes" on Nashville
02:52
Professions

Actress

View Profession
Connie Britton on studying acting with Sanford Meisner 
02:37
Connie Britton on learning television comedy for Spin City
02:41
Connie Britton on the process of shooting and acting on Friday Night Lights
04:45

Performers

View Profession
Connie Britton on studying acting with Sanford Meisner 
02:37
Connie Britton on learning television comedy for Spin City
02:41
Connie Britton on the process of shooting and acting on Friday Night Lights
04:45
Genres

Comedy Series

View Genre
Connie Britton on being cast as "Heather" on Ellen
01:14
Connie Britton on playing "Nikki Faber" on Spin City
06:44

Drama Series

View Genre
Connie Britton on playing "Tami Taylor" on Friday Night Lights
23:22
Connie Britton on playing "Rayna Jaymes" on Nashville
06:24

Sci-Fi/Supernatural Series

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Connie Britton on playing "Vivien Harmon" on American Horror Story
04:41
People

Peter Berg

View Person Page
Connie Britton on being cast in the feature film version of "Friday Night Lights," directed by Peter Berg
03:30
Connie Britton on being cast in the television version of Friday Night Lights, created by Peter Berg
03:46

Michael J. Fox

View Interview Page
Connie Britton on working with Michael J. Fox on Spin City
02:41

Ryan Murphy

View Person Page
Connie Britton on playing "Vivien Harmon" on American Horror Story, created by Ryan Murphy
04:42

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