Connie Britton

“In many ways, the South can be very traditional and confining. And what is interesting to me is how women find their way around it. Those obstacles create an amazing sense of humor, of fun, and, ultimately, of integrity. The fiercest and savviest women I have ever known are the women I grew up with.”

“I was born in Boston, but then I went down to Virginia. We spent a little time in Maryland, and then were in Virginia by the time I was seven. What struck me the most was that my mother thought that she had gone to the middle of nowhere, and we would still drive four hours for her to get her hair cut in Washington, D.C.”

“A definite highlight was doing 'The Brothers McMullen.' Shooting that movie was such a joy - and then we wound up winning the Sundance Film Festival. That big-break moment is visceral. It happens once in a decade, maybe once in a lifetime.”

“I'm booby and kind of curvy, so I definitely need to wear things that work with that. I can't just put on a muumuu, because it looks crazy on me.”

“The South was influential in my life. It helped form who I am. I went to New York out of drama school, and I lived in California.”

“I think that sense of humor is important in marriage. A sense of humor gets people through marriage.”

“I was so green, and my background was mostly in theater. The only thing I'd done in front of a camera, besides an infomercial and one commercial, was 'Brothers McMullen.'”

“Now that I have a 16-month-old son, my weekend ritual has changed - but it's better than ever. We get up early and go for a walk on one of the hiking trails near my home in Los Angeles, then meet up with friends at a diner. There's nothing better than sipping coffee, eating scrambled eggs, and taking three hours to do it.”

“I was thrilled when I heard about the Time's Up campaign's legal defense fund for women who've experienced harassment and sexism. I'd been longing for this movement to extend beyond Hollywood.”

“The U.N. has been focusing on the global goals in terms of trying to fight and eradicate poverty, and I feel like education is at the root of it all.”

“My dad's family was from Tennessee. I grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, where we lived at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As a kid, I was totally into Southern rock. Lynyrd Skynyrd. ZZ Top. It was so part of who I was.”

“I'm obsessed with 'Thelma and Louise,' and therefore obsessed with Callie Khouri who wrote that movie.”

“I thought it was a terrible idea being a supporting character on a football show.”

“I don't know a single woman in her 40s who isn't incredibly full of life and sexuality and desire for everything. There's nothing sexier than life experience, and there's nothing sexier than knowing your own body and having a little bit of experience with that.”

“Just drawing on my own experience, I never - I never - personally reference myself as old. I don't think of myself as old, but I certainly would not say that to a man.”

“I try to put as little stuff into my hair as I can, which tends to be the best for it.”

“In terms of 'American Horror Story' and 'Nashville,' what attracted me to those, and 'Friday Night Lights,' for that matter, is that they felt like something innovative and something that we hadn't seen before. As an actor, that's exciting.”

“Sometimes my favorite directors are the ones I literally want to punch in the nose.”

“Divorce is hard. I was about 29 when my husband and I split up. I think we probably fared better than most, because we were young and didn't have kids - but divorce is hard.”

“There's something about Southern women that is so unique yet so universal. Strong southern women are allowed to be soft and feminine and have a sense of humor. But what I love about Southern women in particular is their universality.”