When Connie Britton admits that her background is in theater, it comes as a bit of a shock. This, of course, is not for lack of stage presence (she steals every scene she’s in) or talent (she’s got plenty of that, too), but simply that for the past four seasons she has been a commanding fixture on Friday Night Lights, one of television’s best programs (at least in this writer’s opinion). “I’ve been so fortunate to work on something that is both creatively challenging and inspiring because it’s a very rare thing,” she says, “particularly on TV and particularly for a prolonged period of time.” In addition to her enviable day job, Britton is an avid and active volunteer worker, a part that, after talking to her, she seems meant to play.

The bulk of Britton’s recent charity work has been with ONE a worldwide advocacy group (co-founded by Bono) committed to both raising awareness and eventually eradicating extreme poverty and disease, particularly in African countries. Connie’s involvement with ONE began a few years ago because of another project she was — and still is — working on: a documentary about orphans in Ethiopia. “The film started simply with a close friend of mine, who foster-cares for and sends money to a young Ethiopian girl who became pregnant and wanted someone to adopt the baby,” Britton says. “I found an American woman [to adopt the child] and I wanted to tell that story.” But she admits, her documentary took the path that many take; as soon as she settled on the premise, it morphed into an entirely different story. “It got complicated because the pregnant girl thought she was going to be adopted too,” Britton explains. “So I find myself wanting and needing to go back and shoot!” The passage of time has hardly dampened Britton’s enthusiasm: “I want to tell an African story and have an American audience feel invited and interested, and as if they are in some way, a part of it.”

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