In-Field Reporting
Scott Porter doesn't only play a football player on TV… he is a football player in real life too. Well, not professionally, but he does love the game and hits the field when he can. We caught up with the "Friday Night Lights" star at his home in Austin, Texas where the show is filmed. Find out what he thinks about his new gig.
Zeeks: First things first - favorite football team?
Scott: In college football, it's the Nebraska Cornhuskers [ed: he grew up in Nebraska]. Pro, it's the Denver Broncos.
Zeeks: You've done a lot of theater. How does it compare to doing TV?
Scott: In theater, you do the same show every night. But with Jason, my character is constantly evolving. You're on your toes a bit more, but at the same time, you have a few chances to get it right, as opposed to being on stage.
Zeeks: Are you comfortable being a TV star?
Scott: I'm a firm believer that if you go looking for fame, it'll find you. But if you treat acting as your work and your profession, I really believe it won't. There are a good number of TV stars you don't see in the tabloids all the time because they just live a real life with their friends and family. I haven't had many people recognize me, but the ones who have are very nice and polite.
Zeeks: Did you play football before you took this role?
Scott: I played wide receiver for Lake Howell High School in Florida. We had a great team, we went to the state semi-finals during my junior and senior years, and had three future NFL players. And, I caught the game-winning pass of the final regular season to send us into the playoffs in my senior year. So I kind of had a little hero moment early on.
Zeeks: Were you made when your character became paralyzed in the first episode?
Scott: I fell in the love with the idea of playing a kid who loses everything and has to come to grips with that. It was a great dichotomy - his on-the-field presence vs. off-the-field presence; how confident he is on the field and then to see him a little shy (off the field). He's going to have to become a man in a different way outside of sports. I was very excited, and I wanted the role even more because of that.
Zeeks: How did you get the role?
Scott: I turned down Tarzan the Musical on Broadway to audition for the pilot season. When I read Jason and saw what happened to him, I knew it offered a chance to be more than just a pretty face on TV. I knew it was a chance to do something special.
Zeeks: Is it hard to play a character who's been paralyzed?
Scott: It's a little bit tricky, a lot of physical things on top of the emotional aspect. It's challenging, but that's why I signed up for it.
Zeeks: How did you prepare for the role?
Scott: I went to a rehab center and met amazing people. I met an 18-year-old kid who'd just gotten his professional bull-riding card, and he was thrown into a metal gate and lost it all. So, I spent a lot of time with them and watched their workouts. Also, I watched some documentaries and movies about the struggles and accomplishments of quadriplegics.
Zeeks: Jason told his girlfriend to leave him alone in last week's episode.
Scott: He has come to grips with his injury and the rest of the town really hasn't. He lashed out at Lyla because she needs to open her eyes. He needs her to see what he's seeing.
Zeeks: Do you know if he'll recover?
Scott: We'll see him start regaining things slowly. Whether or not he'll ever walk again, I don't know. We're shooting episode 10 right now, and there's another sport he gets into. So he finds a way to use his competitive edge a little.
Zeeks: Why do you think Friday Night Lights works so well?
Scott: It's an honest, genuine show. The way it's shot is very cinematic. It doesn't look like anything else on TV. It trusts the intelligence of the viewer to feel some of the underlying currents and emotions. There's a misconception that it's a football show, but it's really not. It's about the people on the team and the people in this town who are obsessed with football.
Zeeks: This is true.
Scott: I think the Washington Post put it really well. The (article) said we are the best new show of the year, but we're also possibly the most misunderstood. All the football fans think we're a team drama, and all the non-football fans think we're a football show. We're really neither of those things. We're just a great drama about real people.
Zeeks: Were you aware of the rabid high school football culture in Texas?
Scott: I heard about it, but until you're actually here, you can never fully understand it. Out here, you have a town with a population of 15,000 with a stadium that seats 18,000 and spends $1.8 million on its turf. There's a school here that has a five-year waiting list for tickets. If you have a kid in fifth grade, and you want to watch him play, you have to sign up in fifth grade so that when he becomes a freshman, you'll have tickets to see him. You might as well be a pro team at that point.
Zeeks: Best thing about being on a hit TV show?
Scott: The ability to learn from the other actors around me. We have a very unique set where we're allowed to ad lib a lot. I brought that with me from theater because you have to be able to roll with the punches.
Zeeks: Any cool perks?
Scott: Playing flag football with Hall-of-Fame football players in Miami for the NFL Kick-Off Party. I would have never had that opportunity had I not been on this show. I get a little star-struck at some of those events. I played with Marcus Allen and Chris Carter and John Madden…it's a very cool thing.
What Scores with Scott…
Video game: A draw between NCAA Football 07 and Lego Star Wars
TV shows: "Heroes," "Lost," "Smallville," "Sports Center," and - this is where I'm going to show that I'm a nerd - "Justice League Unlimited". I'm a huge comic book geek. I go every Wednesday and get my new books.
Comic book: X-Men and Invincible
Novel: Lord of the Rings. I read a lot of Dragonlance, too
Movie(s): Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Shawshank Redemption, Big Trouble in Little China, Good Will Hunting and Braveheart
Actors: I've always wanted to work with Mel Gibson. I really enjoy Matt Damon and Leonard DiCaprio.
Snack: At the movies, I get popcorn with a little butter, then pour a bag of peanut M&Ms into it, accompanied by a Diet Coke. It's funny because it's a Diet Coke with buttered popcorn -- like, what am I really saving at that point? If you get a drink tray to pour the popcorn in there, it's a flat surface and you can find the M&Ms easier. If you don't, they fall to the bottom of the bag. I've got it down to a science.
Jane Louise Boursaw is a freelance journalist specializing in the movie and television industries. Visit her online at www.ReelLifeWithJane.com or email jboursaw@charter.net.
