美国国家公共电台 NPR Connie Britton: TV Mothers' Day

Connie Britton: TV Mothers' Day

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0009:23repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser 1 to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. JONATHAN COULTON: This is NPR's ASK ME ANOTHER. I'm Jonathan Coulton, here with puzzle guru Art Chung. Now from the War Memorial Auditorium 2 in Nashville, Tenn., here's your host, Ophira Eisenberg.

(APPLAUSE)

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST: 

Thank you, Jonathan. Soon we'll find out which of our contestants 3, Allen or Lisa, will be today's big winner.

But first, it's time to welcome our next special guest. You know her as the alpha mom Tami Taylor from "Friday Night Lights," and as country music star Rayna James on "Nashville." Season five premieres in January on CMT. It's Connie Britton.

(APPLAUSE)

CONNIE BRITTON: Isn't it cool, NPR in Nashville?

EISENBERG: Yeah, we think it's really cool.

BRITTON: I think it's awesome 4.

EISENBERG: Now because you play such incredibly strong women on television who are - the characters happen to be moms. Do you have fans - and potentially even strangers - ask you to be their mom? Or go, I wish you were my mom?

BRITTON: (Laughter) Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

BRITTON: Those are some uncomfortable moments.

EISENBERG: Really? Yeah.

BRITTON: Yeah. I think really for everybody involved.

(LAUGHTER)

BRITTON: Because I think the person asking doesn't feel great about it, either.

EISENBERG: Right.

BRITTON: You know, but I don't feel great about it.

EISENBERG: Yeah.

BRITTON: And then I try to mother them in that moment. And then everybody says, you know what, let's just go to therapy...

EISENBERG: We're good, yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

BRITTON: ..And then be done with it (laughter).

EISENBERG: So obviously you got to play one of my favorite roles of all time, Tami Taylor on "Friday Night Lights."

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: A super strong woman who kind of is effortlessly wise and swoops 5 in and can address and solve all of these different men's problems.

BRITTON: (Laughter) Only on TV, right?

EISENBERG: Only on TV. I know that you held that role very close and dear to your heart.

BRITTON: Yes.

EISENBERG: Has it kind of ruined future acting 6 jobs for you because it has - you have such a high thing to compare against?

BRITTON: Well, no, because I have been very fortunate with the future acting jobs that I've been able to do. But I do feel like it created a really wonderful baseline and standard. And I've been really, really lucky since.

EISENBERG: Well, you know, and then we go to you on "Nashville." And when "Nashville" first started, your character was talked about in some interviews as a aging country music star...

BRITTON: Yeah.

EISENBERG: ...And you weren't into that.

BRITTON: Yeah, that kind of pissed me off.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: But you actually changed your character's path?

BRITTON: Yeah.

EISENBERG: How did you do that?

BRITTON: Well, first of all, I never saw her as an aging star. And, you know, I sort of talked to anybody who would listen. And I said, guys, this isn't the story that we're telling. And Callie Khouri, who created the show, I don't think that was really her intention, either. And so - but it's interesting, you know, I think sometimes TV tries to whittle 7 things down to something that feels very basic and sort of approachable and understandable. And I don't think that gives the audience credit. My experience over 40 has been the best of my life and the best of my career. And all the women I know who are my age are just the coolest and the sexiest and the most wonderful. Right?

(APPLAUSE)

BRITTON: I mean, for real.

EISENBERG: Now, also in 2014, you were named a United Nations Development Program goodwill 8 ambassador?

BRITTON: Right.

EISENBERG: Yeah, all right.

BRITTON: I like to spread the good role.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: That is - so what does that mean, exactly?

BRITTON: Well, what that means is that I work with the U.N. - and specifically with the UNDP, which is the U.N. Development Program - and the focus is on trying to eradicate 9 poverty around the world. And my focus in particular is on gender 10 equality. Women right now are such an underutilized resource in the world. And if we really allowed women to work and earn money for working and didn't keep girls out of school around the world, just think what the workforce 11 would be and what the level of intellect and the level of quality of education and everything else would be.

EISENBERG: Sure.

BRITTON: So, yeah.

EISENBERG: Yeah, we need to take over. Simple as that.

BRITTON: Yeah, exactly.

EISENBERG: All right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: All right, Connie, I know this won't be that hard for you because you've taken on so many challenges. But are you ready for an ASK ME ANOTHER challenge?

BRITTON: Oh, yeah, I'm a little scared.

EISENBERG: Oh, yeah, no, it's going to be great. It's going to be great.

BRITTON: OK, good.

EISENBERG: Connie Britton, everybody.

(APPLAUSE)

BRITTON: OK. Oh, boy.

EISENBERG: So, Connie, you've played moms on "Nashville," "Friday Night Lights" and "American Horror Story."

BRITTON: That's right.

EISENBERG: So we are going to quiz you about other memorable 12 TV moms.

BRITTON: OK, all right. I'm with you.

EISENBERG: So Jonathan and I are going to read you a Mother's Day card written to a fictional 13 TV mom. And you just have to figure out who the TV mom is, or at the very least, the television show we're talking about.

BRITTON: OK.

EISENBERG: Easy enough, right?

BRITTON: I'm with you. I'm with you.

EISENBERG: Let's give it a shot.

BRITTON: OK.

EISENBERG: Here's your first one. Taking care of six kids is a big job, but you're the best mom ever, even though you're three squares away from me in the opening credits.

BRITTON: (Laughter)

EISENBERG: Love, Cindy.

(LAUGHTER)

BRITTON: Mrs. Brady?

EISENBERG: Yeah, that's right.

BRITTON: But wait, wait. What was her first name, though? Let me think for a second. It's Jan, Cindy and Marcia. And Mrs. Brady's name was Carol. Thank you, friend.

EISENBERG: (Laughter).

BRITTON: I'm calling a friend.

EISENBERG: Yes.

COULTON: (Laughter) Hi, Mom. And I've always wanted to say that to you, Connie Britton.

(LAUGHTER)

BRITTON: Oh, boy, it's getting uncomfortable.

COULTON: Didn't realize until just now but I realized it. Hi, Mom. I love you more than I love breakfast, which is a lot. I love you even though you didn't tell me that Dad was a meth dealer 14. Love, Walter Jr.

(LAUGHTER)

BRITTON: I'm embarrassed to say that I have never actually watched this series, but I still know that it's from "Breaking Bad."

COULTON: It is. That's correct.

BRITTON: And her name is - friend?

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Unintelligible).

BRITTON: What?

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Skyler White.

BRITTON: Yeah, Skyler White, like I said. Like I said, guys, Skyler White.

COULTON: Skyler White, she said it.

BRITTON: I got that - ish (ph).

EISENBERG: I love that she was sort of the villain 15 on the show even though the father was a meth dealer.

COULTON: Yeah.

BRITTON: Right.

COULTON: Yeah. She was so uptight 16 about it, though, you know?

EISENBERG: (Laughter) Yeah, exactly.

BRITTON: That's so genius.

EISENBERG: Come on.

EISENBERG: Here's your next one. FYI, I think it's lame 17 that Dan Quayle said you're mocking the importance of fathers by being a single mom. Love, Avery.

BRITTON: I'm pretty sure that's a series I never watched.

EISENBERG: OK.

BRITTON: Oh, wait, wait. Oh, no, wait, wait. I know what it is. It's - she was so amazing.

EISENBERG: Yeah. Candice...

BRITTON: Candice Bergen played her, and her name is...

(LAUGHTER)

BRITTON: Murphy Brown.

EISENBERG: Murphy Brown is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: Dear Mother, we hate you. Love, Wednesday and Pugsley.

BRITTON: Right, Wednesday and who?

COULTON: Pugsley.

BRITTON: If I don't know the Wednesday - oh, Pugsley.

(LAUGHTER)

BRITTON: It's Morticia.

COULTON: It is Morticia Addams, that's right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: (Laughter) Yeah.

BRITTON: I'm so glad that I figured out that you didn't say parsley.

COULTON: Yeah, I didn't say parsley.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: I love...

BRITTON: It really was confusing the parsley.

EISENBERG: I love that you figured it out by giving him a hard time.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: That's what I'm here for.

EISENBERG: All right. This is your last clue. Dear Mom, I hope you enjoy this box of chocolates. And I also hope it doesn't give you traumatic flashbacks to the day you worked on that chocolate conveyor belt.

BRITTON: Oh, Lucy.

EISENBERG: Love, Little Ricky.

BRITTON: Love Lucy.

EISENBERG: Yes, Lucille Ball.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Connie, as far as I can tell, you got them all correct.

BRITTON: I think so. I think so.

EISENBERG: Yeah, 100 percent, 100 percent.

BRITTON: As I recall, I think I got them all correct. It's astounding 18, and I didn't even need any help.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: I know, all on your own. And you've won an ASK ME ANOTHER Rubik's cube.

BRITTON: I know.

EISENBERG: Can you believe it?

BRITTON: I'm so excited.

(APPLAUSE)

BRITTON: My son is going to love that.

EISENBERG: How nice. Connie Britton stars as Rayna James on "Nashville." Earlier seasons of "Nashville" can be found on Hulu, but season five premieres in January on CMT. Give it up for Connie Britton.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Please welcome back to the stage Martina McBride, accompanied by guitarist Greg Foresman.

(APPLAUSE)

MARTINA MCBRIDE: We're going to do a song for all the girls out there tonight.

GREG FORESMAN: (Playing guitar).

MCBRIDE: (Singing) This is for all you girls about 13. High school can be so rough, can be so mean. Hold onto, onto innocence 19. Stand your ground when everybody's giving in. This one's for the girls. This is for all you girls about 25 in little apartments just trying to get by. living on, on dreams and SpaghettiOs, wondering where your life is going to go. This one's for the girls who've ever had a broken heart, who've wished upon a shooting star. You're beautiful the way you are. This one's for the girls who love without holding back, who dream with everything they have. All around the world, this one's for the girls.

MARTINA MCBRIDE AND GREG FORESMAN: (Singing) This one's for all the girls.

MCBRIDE: My favorite verse. (Singing) This is for all you girls about 42, tossing pennies into the fountain of youth. Every laugh, laugh line on your face made you who you are today. This one's for the girls who've ever had a broken heart, who've wished upon a shooting star. You're beautiful the way you are. This one's for the girls who love without holding back, who dream with everything they have. All around the world, yeah, this one's for the girls.

MARTINA MCBRIDE AND GREG FORESMAN: (Singing) This one's for all the girls.

MCBRIDE: (Singing) Yeah, this one's for the girls.

MARTINA MCBRIDE AND GREG FORESMAN: (Singing) This one's for all the girls. Aw, yeah.

(APPLAUSE)

MCBRIDE: Thank you very much.

EISENBERG: Everyone give it up one more time for Martina McBride.

(APPLAUSE)