With freedom comes anxiety: Kyle Chandler on 'Friday Night Lights'

At one point in the third season of "Friday Night Lights," Kyle Chandler's coach, Eric Taylor, gets kicked out of a football game, forcing his character to watch the remainder of the contest in a bar. But when Chandler rants at a referee, odds are he's not screaming at another actor.

"Friday Night Lights," which will wrap its 13-episode run on DirecTV on Jan. 14 -- two days before it debuts on NBC -- puts an emphasis on realism. When the series premiered in 2006, it featured a cameo from University of Texas coach Mack Brown, and as the series has progressed, it has continued to employ real high school and college football referees as it has filmed in Austin, Texas.

Chandler relies on them. "It’s nice," he says. "If I’m in a scene, I can go up to these guys. I can say, 'Here’s the situation, but in your experience, how does this really happen? What are some of the things, sir, that high school coaches have yelled at you that made you kick them off the field?’ I can steal that stuff and use it."

But advising how to chew out a ref is easy. Most of the tests Chandler's Taylor faces in Season 3 aren't as simple. In the season premiere, Taylor is still adjusting to his wife's new role as principal of Dillon High. But as the season progresses, he'll weigh buying a new house and fend off constant threats to his coaching job, having to live in a town where "for sale" signs suddenly appear on his lawn after a loss.

Speaking to Show Tracker prior to filming the final two episodes of the season -- and perhaps the series -- Chandler says the best way to prepare is to be surprised. He found out how the season concludes, but wishes he hadn't.

"It’s not usually something I want to know," Chandler says. "It’s nice to be surprised by what’s going to be going on with your character. If I know exactly what’s going to happen, I will aim what I want to do in a certain direction, and that might not benefit me."

Too much planning, Chandler seems to believe, distracts from the naturalism "Friday Night Lights" is striving for. He points to a moment, which was cut, from this season's 12th episode in which his Taylor was having a discussion with his wife, Tami, played by Connie Britton. To hear Chandler describe it, it was a seemingly simple instance -- a slice of exasperated improvisation -- but it was key to adding life to the couple's marriage, which has been the cornerstone and main constant in a series dealing with high school life.

During a pivotal football game that much of the season's 12th episode is devoted to, a delicate drama unfolds between the Taylor family and the new freshman quarterback at Dillon High. As the season progresses to its final episode, it's a situation that slowly -- and surprisingly -- evolves into one that can permanently alter the landscape of the fictional town of Dillon, Texas.

"It was at the very end of the scene," Chandler says. "I look at Connie, and she’s looking at me. I took maybe three or four seconds of just staring at her, and I said, ‘I’m tired.’ I think that moment alone -- that’s what makes our scenes really pop. There’s a bit of a relationship when two people are like that. Those moments right there are really spectacular. We’re allowed to create those, and we’re given the room to maneuver as actors to share those moments. Sometimes they get cut out. They don’t always work, but the very fact that we’re allowed to have them, they keep us much more in the moment, much more alive."

A VELVET REVOLUTION

If the characters of Eric and Tami don't get resurrected for a fourth season, Chandler says adjusting to life without "Friday Night Lights" will not be easy. There's a freeness to the way the series is shot, one that Chandler says is drastically different from any other project he's worked on.

If the series looks just a bit too clean to be a documentary, the inspiration is there. Cameras never really stop moving, following the characters as if everything is shot with handhelds. Often, cameras are looking in at the action through a window, letting the viewer feel as if he or she is floating through the town.

"Going from this style of work to another style is like going from theater to feature," Chandler says. "When I’ve gone from this onto a set where something is very stylized, where the camera angles have to be perfect and the lighting has to be perfect and the actors have to be on their marks, it’s painstaking. This is a velvet revolution we have going on down here. There’s just an intense amount of freedom and an intense amount of responsibility. The parameters aren’t there, so you have to keep yourself in check."

For Chandler, the challenge has been portraying a character who shifts from being a vulnerable father at home to a stern father figure at work. Season 3, in particular, has some awkward father-daughter moments between Eric and Julie, portrayed by Aimee Teegarden, and plenty of coach-to-the-rescue moments for his students.

Throughout the 13-episode third season, Chandler's Taylor is often having to take care of his current and former players off the field. Whether it's helping Gaius Charles' Brian "Smash" Williams gain the confidence to try out for college, or taking seriously the harebrained schemes of Scott Porter's Jason Street, Chandler's Taylor is an unsung hero, one who, depending on the outcome Friday night, might be the town's most hated figure.

"It’s not my job to be a father to the kids," Chandler says. "That’s one thing that I always think is a complete trap for myself as an actor in this. But I’m someone who can give them advice that perhaps a father would share. In the long run, the thing that saves me from that trap, is the approach this is someone else’s decision. They have to make these decisions on their own. I like doing scenes with Julie because I have more personal investment in that character than I do any other character on the show."

Speaking of Julie, Teegarden recently scored a gig in the CW's "90210." But it doesn't mean a fourth season of "Friday Night Lights" is doomed. Teegarden is slated to appear as a "guest star" in an upcoming two- or three-episode story arc of "90210," according to a spokeswoman for the CW series.

As for Chandler, who appeared in this winter's remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," he's plenty worried about the future of "Friday Night Lights." But that's no different from the last two seasons.   

"I miss it already," Chandler says. "As far as will the show go again next season, that’s always an anxiety. It’s always going to be there whatever the project. Of course, if you don’t like the project then you have the anxiety that it’s going to come back. If you really love the project you’re worried that it won’t come back. My anxiety that this won’t come back is definitely there.

"I can’t call it one way or another," he said. "I know this is a good TV show, and we’re proud of what we’re doing."

--Todd Martens

Photo: Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor. Credit: DirecTV/NBC

Comments

[Brad]

I pray this show returns too. It's the finest series on television and a joy to watch. Kudos to Kyle Chandler and the rest of the cast and crew.

[Vicki]

This is hands down the best dramatic show on television. I still can't figure out why this show has not been better promoted. I am so looking forward to season three and only hope NBC or some other major network (re: ABC with Scrubs) will realize that this show is truly groundbreaking entertainment and keep it around for season four.

[katee]

I will miss FNL if it doesn't come back. I really hope it does. And I love the way the show is shot. It must be very weird to work on "stylized" projects after doing FNL. I know it's hard enough for me to watch them! The show spoils me for everything else, because after a few episodes of FNL, whatever else I watch seems false and staged in comparison. There should be more shows like Friday Night Lights...I really hope they don't let it die. It will never be a ratings hit, I would never have watched it in a million years if I hadn't stumbled across it in the TV Guide and idly put it on the TiVo, on the off chance that I'd sit down and maybe watch it. 3 episodes later, I bought both seasons online and have watched them over and over. I convinced my friends to watch it, and they are now clamouring for the 2nd season. I stream season 3 episodes. It really frustrates me when people focus so heavily on ratings, because I live in New Zealand. My love for the show and that of my friends counts for nothing in their ratings system. "Veronica Mars" got cancelled for poor ratings, but there are people being converted to that show almost daily. "Firefly" lasted only 13 episodes, but the box set became one of Amazon's top sellers for months on end. Spread the word, spread the love, and cross your fingers and your toes that the network execs wake up and let shows like FNL continue so that people who come to the series late have something there to enjoy.

[Kathleen]

I will be crushed if it doesn't return. THis cacst is amazing- all of them- the talent shines through. There is never an episode that I'm not caught off guard and end up crying... I don't understand how some shows get a free ride no matter how bad they are- but a show of this caliber has to fight to survive.

[Aaron]

FNL is my favorite show and its one of the best things to happen to TV in a long time. I was thrilled that it got picked up by DirecTV. The way that the show is presented is unlike anything else that I have seen on TV. I really hope it is picked up for a fourth season, even if it means moving the Taylors to another town to create the magic. I really hope the NBC ratings for the show when it goes back there on 1/16 to warrant another season. Thank you to Peter Berg and the cast who create this shows magic. Clear eyes, Full hearts..>Cant Lose

[Rhonda]

FNL is one of the best shows on TV today. The storylines and actors are strong. The actors have chemsitry with each other. They paint an excellent picture of what it's like living in a small town.

I have been counting the days until it returns to NBC. I, like Kyle Chandler, will be disappointed if the show ends at the end of this season.

[Janice]

I am a middle aged Jewish woman living in Thousand Oaks, an LA bedroom community. I never thought I would be "hooked" on a show involving the following: sports - espcially football, Texas, teenage libidos. Why then am a absolutely enthralled with this show. I subscribe to Direct TV and for no other reason then getting to watch FNL without interruptions, it has been more than worthwhile. In some ways I think the season finale should end after the last show, since so many of the primary players are graduating High School. I have loved this show and especially this season.

[Nick]

i dont think they should make a new season, unless they have an effective story line, that will be in the same league as the first two seasons

[FNL for live]

The best show ever...hope it will come back for a 4 season if not the network is stupid for lettiing shows like "30 rock" go on instead of the greatest show ever:"Friday night lights".

[sta]

This is without a doubt the finest show to come along in years. People not hooked are really missing out on something special. Season three has been fantastic. Wonderful job by the writers and especially the actors who were cast with perfection.

[Daniel Shere]

Like "The Wire", FNL will get its deserved acclaim in due time. I just wonder what they would do with a 4th season with so many of the principles graduating?

[Angi]

This show is hands down the best acted, directed, and written show on television today. It deals with real issues the way real people deal with them. It has more heart than any show on television, and to lose it would be awful. The execs need to cut some of the stupid reality shows or lame comedies and keep FNL around. It's a show that actually makes a difference to people, and those are hard to come by.

[Dolphin]

Season 4 of FNLs will air on NBC beginning Friday, May 7th. It's a crying shame its airing was postponed and that the show is not being promoted by NBC.

The series is beginning to shoot its 5th and presumably last season, unless by some miracle, it can be picked up for 2 more seasons.

No matter what happens, if anyone would watch 3 consecutive episodes, they would be as hooked as I am. The show is not about football, per se. Football is merely the backdrop for excellent story telling, just as the Korean War was the backdrop for MASH. I love the show, the cast and crew, the writers, casting agents, camera people, music selection, etc. etc. etc. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton should be very, very proud of the characters they created with such love and integrity, making them the most believable couple on TV, bar none. Well done, very well done!!!