Playing mom to a toddler and a teenager presents a whole different set of dramas to explore. "I heard something about a possible tattoo situation," she says, referring to teenage Julie. "That's what's so exciting about this character—it's just endless. These characters are so real and so vibrant and multi-faceted that the sky's the limit. There are so many places we can go."

Britton didn't always find that the case in her previous television experience, which is considerable. Her resume includes numerous guest appearances a regular role on Sin City, and arcs on The West Wing and season five of 24. Her film credits include The Brothers McMullen, No Looking Back, and the movie version of Friday Night Lights, also as the coach's wife. She'll next appear in Women in Trouble, a comedy following the day in the life of ten disparate females, also starring FNL co-star Adrianne Palicki.

Britton shot that independent movie over the summer, when she also made a return trip to Africa. An avid world traveler, she spent a summer in Beijing while majoring in Asian studies at Dartmouth. Born in Boston with a fraternal twin sister, she grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia and now lives in L.A. and Austin, Texas, where Friday Night Lights is shot.

"Being down there has made me realize why Texans are so rabid about being Texans," she observes. Spending time in "Bush Country" has also given the Barack Obama supporter "an appreciation for lots of points of view"—which extends to sports as well as politics. "I'm still not a huge football fan. I'm still not going to sit down on a Sunday and go crazy," she stresses. "But I have an appreciation for the level of competition and the fair play and all of it."

Fitness-minded herself, Britton swims, hikes and watches her diet (though she doesn't fight an addiction to chocolate). So it's not surprising that she admires something else about athletes. "Who doesn't?!" she responds enthusiastically when asked if she likes the jock type. But it there's one special athlete in her life, she's not telling!