Meet Your New TV Crush: True Blood and Friday Night Lights' Grey Damon

Don't worry, we've got your next obsession lined up, and all the info you could possibly need on his FNL role

True Blood is back tonight! OK, not really, but another show that has so much in common with HBO's vamp series (hotties, panthers and a certain ridonkulously good-looking football stud) is kicking off its giddy-good final season: Friday Night Lights on DirecTV's 101 Network. When you see the new football star, Grey Damon, you're gonna fall. Hard. So we tackled him to get a closer look...

Since screening the premiere episode of season five of Friday Night Lights, we can't help but think that you will be the new face on TV to watch! How did you get into acting?
Grey Damon: My ma and pa are both very artistic, so I suppose it's in my blood. But my ma's the one who was into theater and such. I owe my love of it to her. If she didn't drag me to small community workshops when I was a wee little lad or exposed me to anything artistic for that matter, I wouldn't be who I am today. So my mother definitely plays a major part.

Any horror stories from auditioning?
There was one where I walked in and the women asked if I had gotten the new sides (script pages) and I responded that I hadn't been sent them. She just got really angry and started yelling at me, actually yelling at me that it was my job to have the correct material and that I was so unprofessional. I calmly responded, "That may be, but isn't it also yours?" I mean, I can't have new sides if her office never sent them!  She stared at me for a moment and just started yelling even more. She obviously was not having a good day. I calmly said, "I don't let my own family talk to me this way," and turned around and left. She was flabbergasted. No job is worth that sort of mistreatment.

Right on! Let's move on to your role on Friday Night Lights. What was the audition process like for the role of Hastings?
I guess intimidating would be the word. There were maybe 10 other guys who looked like they actually walked off a football field and came to audition. But I really loved this role. It spoke to me and for the 15 minutes (which felt like an hour) I was in that room, I became Hastings. I forgot who I was for that brief period of time, which is what I really think landed me the role. 

How did you adapt to being the "new kid" in Dillon, and how was filming with the cast?
The cast is very much a family and everyone was very welcoming. It was amazing working with them. They all were so giving and thoughtful and very helpful in breaking me in.  

Friday Night Lights is a beloved show and has a dedicated fan base. How did it feel to be a part of the final season?
It was a dream role to land not only because of the character but also because of the show. My mother doesn't even like football, but because there are so many other elements she's grown to love it and tells me all the time she can't wait to get more. I think she watched the first seasons all the way through just trying to catch up! And my mother loves film but never spends that much time watching television. That makes sense because [Friday Night Lights] is like watching a movie. The acting is very real, and it's shot like an indie film to me. Very edgy and raw.