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Talk sports, pop culture and more with SI.com's Jimmy Traina.
11/15/2006 08:38:00 AM

Light It Up

Minka Kelly
Minka Kelly is just one reason -- a BIG one -- to tune into Friday Night Lights.
Photo by NBC
Are you watching Friday Night Lights? If the answer is no, start now, especially if you have any interest in football. The show was just picked up for a full season, so you don't have to worry about investing your time into a program that will get canceled a few weeks later.

There have been seven episodes so far, and none have disappointed. (The show is not on next week, so you have two weeks to watch all episodes over at NBC.com.) While there are a couple of minor things I can nitpick because TV shows have to take dramatic license (If the actor who plays Voodoo can pass for a high school student, I can pass for a high school student. And the coach constantly listening to his critics on sports talk radio seems like a stretch. Wouldn't he just change the channel?), overall, the show does things right and entertains, mainly because of its impressive cast. Every character brings something to the table -- even minor ones, like Matt Saracin's grandmother -- and the acting is top notch. Kyle Chandler as coach Taylor, deserves major kudos for not taking his character over the top, like most coaches you see in TV or film. In fact, most of the performances on the show are understated and subtle, and that makes Friday Nights Lights all the more enjoyable.

Another reason to tune is smokin' hot Minka Kelly, who plays Lyla Garrity, the cheerleader who was dating the star quarterback but is now sleeping with his best friend after the QB suffers an injury, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down (see, I told you it's a good show).

I spoke to Minka yesterday about the show, her life and many other things. After you read the interview, be sure to let me know what you think of the show.

SI.com: The show was picked up Monday for a full season. Congratulations.

M.K.: Thank you. We're so excited. I believe in the show so much and I've had such a good time and I've learned so much. If it would've ended, I would've been proud of what we did and kept moving. But I'm so glad to be able to keep it going because I think we have so much more to show. You haven't seen nothing yet.

SI.com: Since you went there, let's discuss your character. She started out as the model girlfriend, but then turned into a -- How can I put this? -- slut. What happened?

M.K.: I didn't see it [Lyla sleeping with her boyfriend Jason's best friend, Tim] as a slutty move. I absolutely understood it because Lila was so lost and so alone at the time. I don't think she was able to grasp what was going on. Everything was happening so fast. And the only person who understood her was Tim. Her, Tim and Jason were best friends and no one else understood the pain she was going through or the love that she had for Jason, except for Tim. He had the same love for Jason and they both hid their feelings and their pain from everyone except each other. For some reason, they have an understanding with each other. So to go to each other, there was an unspoken understanding because they were desperate for real feelings that just happen. I think it's normal thing that unfortunately happens for people that age. They don't know what they're doing and they act out in this kind of way. I understood it.

SI.com: Were you nervous that people would turn on your character because of her actions?

M.K.: I was very concerned and worried about being able to make people understand why they did this. It wasn't just a cheap shot or slutty thing. There was so much more meaning behind it. I wanted people to understand why she did it. I was afraid of people not understanding.

SI.com: So now Jason knows something is up. Can you tell us what's going to happen?

M.K.: I can tell you that it's not all gonna happen in one episode. It's going to take a few episodes for Jason to come to terms with what's going on. He doesn't want to believe Lila would cheat with his best friend. They'll be some questions and some denials and some fighting and some crying and some panicking. It'll be a fun thing to watch unfold.

SI.com: I'm nervous that Jason is going to make a miraculous recovery, leading to a "Lila is pregnant. Who is the Daddy" storyline.

M.K.: (Laughs) The thing that's so great about Scott Porter who plays Jason Street is that he's so dedicated and adamant about playing out the character as real as he possibly can. He gets together with other paraplegics and he studies them and talks to them. He tries to play the character as authentic as possible, all the way down to the way his hands move or don't move. So there won't be a miraculous walk out of the wheelchair. That's just unrealistic.

SI.com: Obviously football is a huge part of the show. Are you a big football fan?

M.K.: I'm getting there. I wasn't when I first started doing the show, but now, of course, I'm quite a fan. I watch all the UT games. Out here you can't help but care about it.

SI.com: You shoot the show in Austin, Texas. Are you surprised how big high school football is in that part of the country?

M.K.: I didn't understand how much meant to a town like this until I came to Texas and attended some high school football games. I talked to some of the people in the stands and asked them questions and I felt like they were rehearsing lines from the show. I was surprised to see how dramatic it all really is. I would just randomly ask people "so these games are a big deal out here?" and they'd be like, "OH YES, IT'S A BIG DEAL," and then they'd ask me if I ever heard of that show, Friday Night Lights.

SI.com: They didn't recognize you?

M.K.: Well, this was when the show first started. And I was wearing a hat.

SI.com: How's the night life in Austin?

M.K.: It's great. There's so much going on. There's a huge live music scene. In L.A. everyone is an actor. In Texas, everyone's a musician. Any night of the week, you can find music and it's all so good and soulful. The people are great and so nice. It's been a fun transition from L.A.

SI.com: According to IMBD.com, you are 26 years old. I think that's good because you don't want guys who watch the show fawning over high school girls. But you also run into that Beverly Hills 90210 problem where they had cast members who looked like they were 40 playing high school characters. How is it playing a high school character at your age?

M.K.: If I were to play a high school student at a high school student's age, I think you'd deny the character a lot of turmoil that they go through because at that age you don't admit to many of the emotions you're feeling because you don't fully understand them or you're embarrassed by them. And I think having already been through a lot of those things, I have an understanding of those feelings and emotions a lot more fully and can portray them more honestly.

SI.com: Were you a cheerleader in high school?

M.K.: I wasn't. I was more into softball and kickboxing. I was a tomboy, not a girlie girl.

SI.com: Do you have a boyfriend?

M.K.: I don't.

SI.com: What do you look for in a guy?

M.K.: I think the most attractive thing for me when I meet a guy is confidence and him being comfortable in his own skin. I like someone who doesn't need approval or validation. Just has his own thing going on. I also like someone who is smart. I have to learn things from anyone who I surround myself with.

SI.com: And what do you like to do in your free time?

M.K.: Whenever I have the chance, I go to the lake. I like to go wakeboarding. It's my new favorite sport. It's like skiing but on a snowboard that has little shoes on it. But I stay home a lot. I'm a huge homebody. I've only gone out a handful of times since coming to Austin. When I don't work I go to the movies or I go go-carting.

SI.com: Did you see Borat?

M.K.: I did and I loved it, but it was very sad the way they made our country look. I just think they went into the pits of the pits. Very sad, but very funny.

SI.com: You have a unique name. Any backstory there?

M.K.: My mom just made up. I could make up a cool story for you, but I want to be honest. She just made it up.

SI.com: Well, I appreciate your honesty. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me.

M.K.: Thank you so much. It was fun talking to you.
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