Connie Britton is gearing up for a major Fall 2024 with the simultaneous releases ofHere AfterandWinner. While the acclaimed sitcomSpin Cityserved as her first major role, Britton would find widespread acclaim for her work in the true-story-inspired sports dramaFriday Night Lights, where she landed her first Emmy nomination. In the time since, she has remained a staple of the TV world witheverything fromAmerican Horror Story: Murder HousetoNashvilleand9-1-1, as well as having supporting roles in films with the likes ofThis Is Where I Leave You,Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, andPromising Young Woman.
Britton stars inHere Afteras Claire Hiller, a woman whose world is rocked when her daughter, Robin (Freya Hannan-Mills), is involved in what could have been a fatal accident. When Robin miraculously recovers from the brink of death, Claire is initially overjoyed and helps her adjust back to being alive. This joy quickly turns to dread, however, when bizarre events begin occurring around Robin, leaving Claire to wonder if a dark entity attached itself to her daughter at the time of her accident.
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In addition toHere After, Britton is also part of the cast for the upcoming black comedy drama,Winner, which is based on theNew Yorkmagazine feature “Who Is Reality Winner?” and explores the life of the eponymous Air Force veteran who became a whistleblower during the 2016 United States Presidential election by leaking an intelligent report about Russia’s interference with it. Britton stars as Reality’s mother, Billie, alongside a star-studded roster ofLocke & Key’s Emilia Jones,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Kathryn Newton,The Hangover’s Zach Galifianakis andCaptain America: Brave New World’s Danny Ramirez.
Ahead of both movies' September 13 release,Screen Rantinterviewed Britton to discussHere AfterandWinner, how she pulled inspiration from being a real-life parent for the thriller, her methods for pulling herself out of a dark mindset while filming, and the “important story” behind the latter film and her joy of getting to work with Kathryn Newton.
Being A Mother Was “Very Helpful” For Britton To Find HerHere AfterCharacter
Screen Rant: As a parent,Here Afteris hard to watch, but in a good way. I know you’re a mom, so what was it like bringing that to set?
Connie Britton: For me, it was very helpful because, oh my gosh, as a mom, you just can’t even imagine having this experience. But also, I love playing moms, even more so now that I am a mom. I love playing moms, because each mom is completely different. Each mom is going through a different experience, has a different story, but there’s something fundamentally universal about being a mom, so you can always tap into that and then find the unique elements of what it is to be a mom.
And so, in Here After, I tapped into that, but then had to go to the really dark places of, oh my gosh, what if this happened? And that’s the work. That’s the part, that’s why they call it acting. But that was also the really rewarding challenge of it.
How hard is it for you to leave that feeling there and not bring it home?
Connie Britton: It was interesting because we shot the movie in Italy, in Rome. The character that I’m playing is very isolated. She’s an American in Rome and that also was my experience shooting the movie. And so I actually leaned into, I mean, Rome is such an incredibly beautiful place and the people were so wonderful there, but I leaned into being there to try to shake me out of it.
I didn’t have a lot of downtime, but if I have downtime, I would just try to explore the place because it was such another world that it kind of got me out of the intensity of the movie. And my son did come over and visit me because he had his spring break during that time. So he did come over for a brief period, and that also helped me to just kind of separate from it.
Britton Was Genuinely Moved By The Script
Avoiding spoilers, there is a twist that I did not see coming. What was it like reading the script?
Connie Britton: It was really amazing. I started reading the script, and I’m not necessarily, psychological thrillers aren’t necessarily my go-to, but as I was reading it and then the story started to unfold, I was so genuinely moved by the story, as a mother and just as a person really. And so I think what really struck me about it was feeling really surprised by a lot of the twists that happened and also my emotional reaction to those.
I thought, “Oh, this is interesting to me because this is really coming from a very deep psychological place.” And also, I love stories where there is a suppression of emotions and then a discovery of being able to, you kind of have to blow that up and get underneath it all. And that’s what happens in this, and ultimately redemption, you know?
There is a scene that is almost like a dream sequence. Could you talk about filming that?
Connie Britton: It was wild. That was where I really had to rely on the director, because I couldn’t really envision what that was going to be like, which is kind of cool because in that part of the movie, she’s in a very unique vision. She’s in a place that she doesn’t know. It’s unexpected and unknown. So it was really cool to be able to bring the psychological and emotional elements to that, which was very much visually the director’s vision, and it was so important to the movie.
BothHere Afterand Winner Are “Entertaining”
You have another film coming out,Winner, which looks incredible.
Connie Britton: Great, great cast, amazing people involved, and really incredible story. I’m excited for people to see that because it is completely different. That’s the beauty. Both films, I think, are going to be so entertaining to audiences. The same audience. It’s so nice to have two movies that it’s like, Oh, I want to see that.
I love Kathryn Newton. What was it like working with her?
Connie Britton: She’s so wonderful and bubbly and sweet and really, really talented. Everybody in that movie is just next level.
What would you say to someone to get them to check outWinner?
Connie Britton: First of all, it’s an important story. I felt like, when I got sent that script, I was like, I have to tell the story. It’s a very important story in a specific moment in our history, our American history, about people that we will recognize as, Oh, that could be my neighbor. So it’s a really relatable story. And it’s a true story. The story is told in almost a dark comedy kind of way, so it’s entertaining. It’s a harrowing journey that’s a true story for this young woman, Reality Winner, but it’s also funny, which I think helps. It’s nice when you may throw a comedy into situations like that.
Here AfterWill “Bring Up All The Feels”
And what would you say to people to get them to seeHere After?
Connie Britton: For Here After, I would say, if you want to be entertained and feel something and be in suspense and have the experience of going on a journey, a thrill, and actually feel something as you do it, then this is the movie. It really is going to bring up all the feels, but also be really suspenseful and really entertaining and intense.
AboutHere After&Winner
In Here After, Claire is overjoyed when her daughter, Robin, is miraculously revived after a fatal accident. However, her relief soon turns to dread as she starts to suspect that something dark has followed Robin back from the brink of death.
In Winner, Reality Winner is a brilliant young misfit from a Texas border town who finds her morals challenged while serving as an NSA contractor. A sarcastic, gun-loving, vegan, yogi, and CrossFit fanatic, Reality is an unconventional whistleblower who ends up being prosecuted for exposing Russia’s hacking of the 2016 election.
Stay tuned for our otherHere Afterinterview with director Robert Salerno.
Here Afterhits theaters and digital platforms on September 13, withWinneralso releasing in theaters and VOD on September 13.
Here After
Cast
Claire Hiller’s joy at her daughter Robin’s miraculous revival after a fatal accident turns to dread as she notices eerie changes, fearing something dark has followed Robin back from apparant of death.
Winner
Winner is a biographical comedy by director Susanna Fogel that premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film retells the story of Reality Winner, an NSA contractor who leaked information about Russian interference during the presidential election of 2016.
