Pasadena, CA (AP) — Connie Britton’s new series dear edward ‘ gave her the chance to revisit a past project she cherishes, ‘Friday Night Lights’.
Developed and executive produced by Jason Katims, the series “Friday Night Lights” saw poor ratings but gained a cult following among critics and viewers.Britton played Tami Taylor A high school guidance counselor in a small town in Texas who is married to the school’s football coach (Kyle Chandler). The show also put the cast, including Britton, Chandler, Jesse Plemons, and Taylor Kitsch, on different career trajectories.
“‘Friday Night Lights’ sets the bar in many ways about what I want, what I want creatively, how I want to work, and who I want to work with. I did,” Britton said in a recent Zoom interview.
Katims, who admitted he had been waiting to find another project with Britton since “Friday Night Lights” aired as the series finale in 2011, will stream on Apple TV+ on February 3. Reunite her in “Dear Edward”.
“When you work with an actor like Connie, you always have that feeling in the back of your mind that you want to work with her again. I wanted to bring her a role that she could really want to do,” he said.
That role in “Dear Edward” is that of Dee Dee, a wealthy Manhattan socialite until her husband dies in a plane crash.
Britton admits to preparing for the role after watching an episode of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”
“Dee Dee made me laugh,” Britton said. “She always made me laugh, so it was really a lot of fun playing her…kind of gorgeous clothes, jewelry, etc. It’s fun to be able to do those things.” , (it’s) fun to get rid of them all.
The Britton and Katims reunion lived up to expectations, the actor said, and the crew she worked with on “Friday Night Lights” was also in attendance.
“Jason’s set was everything I remember and everything I could have imagined. I had a crew. It was like home week back in the old days and it was really fun… Now I’m at a point in my life, in my career, where I want to work with the people I love. ”
“Dear Edward” is also a classic about Edward (played by Colin O’Brien), a 12-year-old boy who is the sole survivor of a plane crash and lives with his aunt and uncle after his parents and brothers. be killed Viewers watch as Edward adjusts to this devastating loss and experiences magical thoughts while pretending his brother also survived the crash.
“When Edward loses his family, he has a presence that looms over him,” said O’Brien. He kind of redefines himself.
Based on the novel of the same name by Anne Napolitano. For his adaptation, Katims added even more characters to the story (including Dee Dee) and chose to have them interact during grief counseling.
“I wanted to see a present tense story about what happens after this tragic accident happened. The idea of the grief group came about because we needed to see people mesh with each other.” That’s why,” said Katims.
Another character added to the story is Adriana Washington, played by Anna Uzel. Washington’s grandmother, a longtime congressman from New York, was also killed in the crash. Although she inherited her grandmother’s desire to serve, she is frustrated with politics and has to reconcile the two of her.
Uzele says filming the grieving session scene was a way for the actors to think about their own personal loss. Director Alison Liddy-Brown said she created a space where they could collectively bring to life what it’s like to mourn and remember those who have passed away.
“I lost my grandmother a few years ago, and that grief has healed in many ways, but it’s been wonderful to think of her and have memories of her throughout the shoot.”
Britton hopes that “Dear Edward” will remind people that there are many ways to mourn and that people are stronger than they think.
“I hope that the show will give people some words of grief and that it will be an idea they can relate to, and the idea that we have strength in the face of adversity,” she says.
“We have been through many cultures globally in the pandemic,” she adds.