Jesse Plemons – Friday Night Lights

Q.  What are some of the recent projects that you’ve been working on?

A.  Before shooting “Friday Night Lights” normally I go out to LA for pilot season and that’s the busiest time for me.  I’ve done quite a few guest starring roles on some TV shows.  I did “CSI,” “Judging Amy,” most recently I was on an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.”  It was a really great experience and a few years ago I did a movie called Like Mike.  I played a bully in that, I was the bully to Bow Wow. 

Q.  What can you tell us about the premise for the show “Friday Night Lights” and about your character?

A.  It’s actually completely new characters and background from the movie.  It’s still set in a Texas town and all the characters are new, a couple of them are kind of similar.  Mine is brand new, there was no one like this in the movie or the book.  There is a completely new set of characters and a new story.  There are about ten series regulars, there are tons of plotlines.  I think it turned out to be a really interesting, fast-paced show.  My character’s name is Landry and he’s the only male character that doesn’t play football on the show.  It gives my character definitely a new perspective, which is interesting, because I actually played football growing up.  Landry is a guy who is hard to explain, he doesn’t fit into any specific stereotype that TV shows normally exhibit.  He’s not a nerd, he’s definitely not a jock and he’s not a band geek.  He’s not any of these things, he’s best friends with the quarterback.  He’s really into music, there is a line in the pilot where he talks about starting a Christian/Speed-Metal band.  He’s the type of guy who will see something that’s interesting to him and spend all night researching it on the computer.  Then, he’ll go on about it for hours when no one really cares.  He is a lot of fun to play, I can kind of just have fun with it.  It’s a nice break from all of my bully and bad guy roles.

Q.  What made you want to be a part of it?

A.  You know, it’s always been a dream of mine to do some kind of a sports movie or a sports TV show.  I grew up in the same environment that show kind of takes place in.  A small town in Texas where football was everything; that was it.  As soon as I read the script, I fell in love with the story.  Football is at the base of it, it’s a definite football show, unlike some of the football and sports shows that have tried to make it on TV.  It’s a story about people and it brings you into this world that not many people are familiar with.  That really attracted me initially.  The casting director for “Grey’s Anatomy” was casting for “Friday Night Lights” so it’s funny how it worked out. 

Q.  Do you have a memorable moment from working on the show so far?

A.  We just have so much fun, we were all there for the pilot, we all got really close.  I guess it’s something I thought about recently, we all went out to dinner – the whole cast – and we were all sitting around the table thinking about what it would be like.  Just recently I’ve been thinking about that.  Everyone is great, there is no person that can be singled out that is a problem. 

Q.  What about the role has been challenging for you?

A.  Me and the guy who plays Matt (Zach Gilford) are great friends, most of my scenes are with him.  A lot of the times it doesn’t really feel like we’re acting, it feels like we’re having a conversation.  For me, it’s a new experience because I’m so used to really having to be emotional.  I kind of tend to want to do too much when it’s really like this conversation between the two of us out there. 

Q.  Why should viewers take the time to check out the show?

A.  The football stuff in the beginning looks so real.  I think anyone who loves football will love it.  But, no matter who you are or where you’re from, it’s got something that everyone can relate to.  It’s got a lot of heart and the cast is great.  Kyle Chandler, who plays the coach, is amazing.  The first few episodes should have him nominated for an Emmy.  He’s just great, everyone has done great work.  The show touches on a lot of really important issues.  I think everyone can relate to it.

Q.  What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

A.  I am big into sports, Scott Porter and I play basketball quite a bit.  There is a really cool theater in Austin and it’s a theater where they show tons of old and new movies.  I think they’re are only a few of them around but it’s a wonderful theater.  They have waiters that come by and serve you food while you’re watching a movie.  There are tons of cool little springs around as well.  I play guitar so I am into that.

Q.  Do you have a latest obsession?  Are you into any particular book, sport, music group or activity?

A.  Besides acting music is a passion of mine.  Austin City Limits Music Festival is a huge festival that tons of bands come to and I’m really into that.