WWCBD? The actress formerly known as Tami Taylor, who stars in the upcoming movie This Is Where I Leave You , answers that question for us.
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TORONTO — Connie Britton won audiences' hearts as Dillon High guidance counselor and Texas mother and wife extraordinaire Tami Taylor on Friday Night Lights. And in her latest role, she plays a therapist, which means Britton has the ideal resume to offer wise words.
In the film adaptation of This Is Where I Leave You, which recently made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival and will open on Sept. 19, Britton plays the therapist turned girlfriend to her former patient Phillip Altman (Adam Driver), the youngest of the Altman siblings who are reunited in the movie by the loss of their father. Stepping into the character of Tracy Sullivan was rather easy for Britton, thanks to her prior on-screen counseling experience. "I've done some therapy in the past. That helped! Basically, I pulled from that. I pulled from Tami," the actress told BuzzFeed News, with a laugh, at the festival. "She's there to serve a specific part of that story, and the part of that story she's there to serve is the fact that this youngest brother is a little bit of a lunatic."
But the role wasn't one Britton was searching for since she stars as Rayna James on ABC's Nashville 10 months out of the year. "I hadn't even read the script yet, nor the book. But I just knew about the cast and frankly, I was like, 'I don't really care what it is, I want to work with that cast. I'm a huge Girls fan, so therefore, I'm a huge Adam Driver fan. I'm also a huge Tina Fey fan, I'm also a huge Jason Bateman fan, I'm also a gigantic Jane Fonda fan," Britton said. "To me, it was a dream cast. I was gung-ho about the movie just based on that before I even knew what the movie was. They came and said, 'We think you're going to get the offer,' and I was so excited. I was like, I better read the script."
After reading the script, and winning the role, Britton sat down with Levy and Jonathan Tropper, the author of the novel upon which the film is based. While they incorporated some Tracy scenes from the book into the movie, Britton's screen time is limited. "To me, there wasn't a lot of screen time necessarily for the character, but there was enough of a journey and arc that it felt exciting to do," she said. "I love playing complex, strong women characters who have flaws. So for me, this character felt very true and very relatable."
Though Tracy and Phillip end their professional relationship when their personal one begins in This Is Where I Leave You, Tracy offers some pieces of advice to him along the way. And Britton herself is chockfull of helpful tips. Here are some pieces of advice for her characters and fans, and for some other situations. Because, don't we all wonder, What would Connie Britton do?
For Tracy Sullivan:
"Girl, just know yourself and know what you need. Put the flamboyant guys behind you and go get somebody who is gonna contribute to your sense of stability in your life."
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For Phillip Atlman:
"I find Phillip to be a really amazing guy. He obviously isn't grounded in the world, but I do feel like he’s a guy who lives his life. I think that’s ultimately what he wants and I can see [Tracy] totally justifying his life and being like, Yeah, he’s living his life and doing what he wants to do. So I would say to Phillip, 'Keep doing what you want to do, but try to ground it a little bit.'"
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