Emmys 2013: Connie Britton on being a role model and taking risks

After five years playing the strong, supportive guidance counselor and wife Tami Taylor on the football drama “Friday Night Lights,� it’s no surprise Connie Britton developed an image as something of a role model.

“When ‘Friday Night Lights’ was over, I definitely was almost stunted in a way by having this sense of responsibility — that I needed to somehow maintain this role model or this image that I was putting out into the world, and that I had a responsibility to that,� Britton said during a recent Envelope Emmy Round Table on the topic of TV dramas.

WATCH: The Envelope Emmy Roundtable | Drama

As flattering as all that was, Britton, who now stars on the musical drama “Nashville,� said she believes in taking risks as an actor and challenging herself.

“I went and did ‘American Horror Story,’ which kind of just demystified all that and made it a lot less precious and gave me a good sense of humor about what I’m doing in the world,� Britton said.

“And [it] really made me realize that as actors, it’s not so much the message of the character that we’re playing as much as — at least I think — what part of ourselves we’re investing in the work. And I think that audiences feel that, and I think storytelling and telling human stories is such an important thing in the world.�

Britton’s latest leap of faith finds her singing on “Nashville,� an endeavor she modestly described as “terrifying, probably kind of a stupid thing to take on, but ultimately really rewarding.� For more from Britton, watch the video.

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