With the 17th anniversary of Friday Night Lights’ release date just being days away, country superstar and actor in the hit sports film, Tim McGraw, took a look back at his time on the set.
In an Instagram post, McGraw recalled some interesting events that occurred on the Friday Night Lights set. “You get bored sometimes [on the set]. You’re there for 2-3 days and they don’t want you to leave. In case they might steal a shot and get you in it. Sometimes you’re there for 2-3 days and don’t shoot anything.”
McGraw then stated that he bought remote control cars. He and some Friday Night Lights crew members set up a race track and they were racing the remote control cars in the parking lot. “The three cars were just like neck and neck the whole time,” he said. So the country singer and crew members started making martinis. They would set the martinis on top of the cars.
“The goal was to win a race without spilling your martini,” the Friday Night Lights star shared. “And we just had a great time doing that.”
McGraw then said his Friday Night Lights star Billy Bob Thornton also gave him acting advice. “He said, ‘Look, if you think you’re not doing enough, you’re probably still doing too much.’ And that was the best advice I ever gotten as an actor.”
Tim McGraw Recalls How He Got the Role in ‘Friday Night Lights’
According to Wide Open Country, Tim McGraw revealed how he managed to get the role in Friday Night Lights. “I couldn’t get Pete Berg [the director] to even take the phone call from me,” McGraw said. “He didn’t even know who I was. Which was a good thing.”
McGraw then shared that he managed to find out where the Friday Night Lights director’s office was in Austin, Texas. “I made an appointment with him. I finally got his assistant to make an appointment with me.”
McGraw eventually took on the Friday Night Lights role as Charles Billingsley, who was a former football star who tried into an alcoholic. The country singer then revealed that Garret Hedlund, who played his son in the film, wanted to sing to him every time they were on set. “He was like 18-years-old. Bless his heart. He’s a good singer now. But, boy, he couldn’t sing then at all.”
McGraw then said that his younger Friday Night Lights co-star went on to star with him in Country Strong. Hedlund was also in McGraw’s “Truck Yeah” music video and has since become a good friend. The song that Hedlund wanted McGraw to sing on set was “Don’t Take the Girl.”
