Friday Night Lights stars Amy Teegarden and Adrianne Palicki are reflecting on the bond and family they developed while filming the hit series 20 years ago.
“You’ve got a bunch of young kids moving to this city who don’t really know each other, and I think it’s been a bonding experience,” Teegarden told The California Post on Tuesday night, midway through the FNL reunion tour in Los Angeles.
She added that the show was filmed outside of Austin, Texas, at a time when networks were producing big pilots, and none of the cast members were from the city.
Friday Night Lights is based on the 1990 book and 2004 film of the same name, aired from 2006 to 2011, and starred Michael B. Jordan, Taylor Kitsch, Minka Kelly, Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, and more.
For Teegarden, who grew up in Downey, Calif., this was her first time in Texas.
“I didn’t watch a lot of football. I grew up playing baseball. It was like a big event in Los Angeles,” she said. “It’s kind of crazy that it’s been 20 years. I mean, it feels like yesterday, and it feels like a lifetime ago.”
Palicki, who played Tyra, loved Austin so much that she stayed with him after filming began.
“A lot of us moved there,” she told the California Post during an event at the Alamo Drafthouse in downtown Los Angeles. “It was just a lightning-in-a-bottle situation…It was so special. And we were all hungry to do it. And we loved each other.
“At the end of the night, instead of going home, we all went out and drank at Guero’s.”
Palicki is currently working on a documentary series about “Friday Night Lights,” filming during a five-city tour for Plex and ATX TV celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (“Angela Collette”) and Stacey Oristano (“Mindy Riggins”) joined Teegarden and Palicki after a screening of the season one episode “It’s Different for Girls” (Curated by Teegarden), where the actress revealed that she had interviewed creator Jason Katims earlier in the day and had been with executive producer Peter Berg the day before.
“We’re visiting and interviewing a lot of people,” Palicki said. “My friend Sean[Cosen]produced a Peacock documentary called The Office that was coming out soon. He approached me and said, ‘Would you be interested in being a producer on this?'” And I said, ‘Absolutely,’ because this show absolutely changed my life. ”
In addition to “most” cast members, Palicki also interviewed professional soccer players.
“It’s about how this show, this movie, this book has impacted not just television and movies, but football players and athletes in general and Texas.”
“It reflects a kind of honesty and truth, and that’s something I really appreciate,” Teegarden added. “I had no idea what kind of gift it was.”
