Connie Britton has a clear eye and a full heart when it comes to filming television shows.
The 57-year-old actress recently revealed why she prefers acting in television serials rather than films.
“I really love TV,” Britton told The Post in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
“I grew up on television, watching TV, and I love serialized television because I feel like it gives you a chance to get to know a character and tell a longer version of that story.”
He further added, “So there's something really wonderful about it. I love getting immersed in it and really letting the story live and living a life that continues.”
But that doesn’t mean Britton doesn’t enjoy making a movie here and there.
“I mean, there's something very artistic about the beginning, middle and end of a movie,” the actress said.
“And it's a very beautiful, traditional way of telling a story, which I love. But if you can make really serialized television and the audience wants to know more about that character and wants to live in that world, that's a very special thing.”
Britton has a long list of experience starring in hit television shows, including “Friday Night Lights”, “Nashville”, “American Horror Story”, “9-1-1” and “The White Lotus”.
However, she hit the big screen for her new horror film “Here After.”
The film follows Britton's character, Claire, who “is overjoyed when her daughter Robin is miraculously revived after a fatal accident,” as the synopsis states.
“However, her relief soon turns to fear as she begins to suspect that something dark has brought Robin back from the brink of death.”
So, why did Britton gravitate toward the script in the first place? As the “Dear Edward” star said, “I love psychological thrillers, and this one, I was reading it, and as the story progressed, I was very impressed.”
Britton added, “As a mom, I love telling stories. I think a mom's journey is very universal and very relatable. And we've obviously played a lot of moms. But, when I was reading it, I felt like it had a lot of different elements to it than just a straight-up thriller.”
And this suspense project gave the TV maestro an opportunity to explore many facets of his character.
“And then eventually we have to move on and transform into something else. I liked the way the supernatural was used in the movie to try to create redemption around things that seem very grounded in real life.”
The actress also said that she wanted a “challenge”.
“I really wanted to explore themes of guilt and loss and the pain that we repress and that we keep inside us,” Britton admitted.
“I always like to challenge myself in any role,” Britton explains.
“And I wanted to be challenged to be like, 'Oh gosh, I have to go to these dark places right now as a mom and explore this.' Ultimately it gave me a lot of empathy for moms. We moms suffer in so many ways around the world and experience a lot of pain and a lot of loss and a lot of guilt.”
Though she's played some beloved mothers on the small screen, including Tami Taylor in “Friday Night Lights,” this time Britton brings out another side of herself.
She said, “I am trying to understand different aspects of being a mother in each different role.”
“I think that's important because I don't want to play everyone the same. This time, I wanted a challenge.”
Britton has had countless hit roles since becoming a household name on the ABC sitcom “Spin City” in 1996, but at this point in her career, she’s more conscious of what motivates her to say yes.
“I would say for me it's been really consistent,” she said.
“I always want to play a character that I feel like I can do something that I haven't done before. So, for example, I've played a lot of mothers, but I don't want to play a mother that I already feel like I've played that mother role. There's nothing new to explore or experience.”
“But if I can discover something new in the character that I’m playing, and I also believe that we have an opportunity in our storytelling as actors and filmmakers, then I believe we have an opportunity to reflect something about ourselves to the audience.”
Britton said, “So when I read something, if I feel like, 'Oh, this could be an opportunity to explore something emotionally or psychologically that I haven't done before, that I haven't looked at in this way before, and maybe it could affect an audience as well,' then that's really important to me.”
These days, the former “SMILF” star is keeping pretty busy, as her second movie, “Winner,” has also been released.
“'Winner' is a completely different kind of story from 'Here After.' But it was a really important story to tell. It's based on a true story that happened to Reality Winner. I think her story is really important because it reflects a very specific time in our recent history.”
For that reason, Britton knows the film, which follows a young Texas girl who serves in the U.S. Air Force and works as an NSA contractor, will appeal to audiences.
He added, “It's one thing for filmmakers that we have the opportunity to take snapshots of these moments in time and these moments in history and show them to the audience. And then the audience can say, 'I didn't know that happened ten years ago' or however many years ago. So I think that's really important.”
