Television

The stars of the new television series Friday Night Lights hail from Florida, Canada and (gulp) New Jersey. But before you get the urge to hogtie them, consider a pair of true Texans lurking in the cast.Jesse Plemons' first acting gig was in a Coca-Cola commercial in Dallas when he was 2, but it was a small part in another Austin-shot high school football film, Varsity Blues, that truly put him on the acting path.

"I was about 10 or 11," he said of the film shot in 1998. "I got to call James Van Der Beek a chicken. That's when I decided this is really what I want to do."

Mr. Plemons, whose father Jim Bob Plemons is a Mesquite firefighter, grew up on a ranch outside the tiny Central Texas town of Mart, population 2,500 or so, with his mother.

But in support of her son, his mom soon quit her job as a teacher in Waco to jet to Los Angeles for months at a time so he could pursue acting. He tried his best to learn chemistry over the phone, and, yes, he did find time for football, starting in Pee Wee games as a quarterback and progressing to tight end and wide receiver in high school.

His Texas accent cost him a couple of roles, so he worked hard to lose it. Now he's giving his castmates lessons in Texas-ness while portraying Landry Clarke, a character who doesn't play football and whom Mr. Plemons imagines as a total outsider.

"I picture him not originally being from the town," Mr. Plemons, 18, said during a telephone interview last week. "He's not your nerd; he's not your jock. He doesn't fit into a stereotype. That's what makes him really interesting to play. He doesn't understand what all the hype is about football. But slowly but surely he gets drawn into it. He realizes it really is exciting, and it really is fun."

Brad Leland plays Buddy Garrity, the car dealer in fictional Dillon, Texas. Garrity is also the father of the head cheerleader and heads the booster club. In real life, he stood, held up by crutches, on the Memorial Stadium sidelines in Austin as his Plano High School team beat Gregory-Portland to claim the 1971 state title. Those memories offer fuel as he brings to life the character he calls an "afterlete."

"He's a fellow living in the passion of the past, the guy who will never leave," said Mr. Leland, who also portrayed the booster-club president in the film Friday Night Lights. "He's got all the money and power he needs, so Friday night is when he gets his kicks."

While core cast members from the Lone Star State are rare, day players are often straight off the streets, including actual high school coaches. Mr. Leland said he is encouraged to bring a Texas twang to the show with ad-libbed dialogue. "Every time I hear a phrase from my old buddies, I try to coerce the writers into putting it in," Mr. Leland, 52, said during a telephone interview last week. "They say, 'Look, the script is a blueprint, but if you find places where you can inject a little more reality, go for it.' It's organic, more human."

Mr. Leland's career got a jump-start on the television series Dallas, and he appeared regularly on Walker, Texas Ranger in his niche as "cowboys, cops, bad guys and sidekicks." He knows the power of episodic television for the Texas film industry.

"An actor is always looking for a job that's continual," he said. "You usually don't get regular jobs when you're from this part of the country."

And you usually don't get to toss footballs around during down time. Strike that. The new rule on the Lights set strictly forbids such horseplay after an errant ball beaned a spectator.

Mr. Leland and Mr. Plemons are cautiously optimistic the show, now committed to only 13 episodes, will be picked up for a full season.

"You care about these characters quickly," Mr. Leland said. "I guess because we know them. It's a tear-jerker, it really is. Of course, we're having fun, too."

Mr. Plemons has already been down the unsuccessful pilot road with Expert Witness in 2003 starring Mathew Modine, so he's wary of high expectations.

"You hear so much hype, but a little part of yourself doesn't want to believe it," he said. "But this is my first opportunity to really be able to sink my teeth into a role. It's one of those moments that only comes around once. It's my big break. I'm trying to enjoy it. I'm a pretty lucky guy."

E-mail filmnewsbyjoe@yahoo.com

ARCHIVES: Search for more stories on this and other topics | Search Tips

SUBSCRIBE: Get The Dallas Morning News delivered to your home