Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Connie Britton

Connie Britton is one of those actresses who is so amazing and charismatic, it’s just impossible to dislike her. She is constantly playing the part of the most lovable character on television, from her role as Tami Taylor in Friday Night Lights to the belting country queen, Rayna James in Nashville. Connie, who’s full name is actually Constance Elaine Britton, her maiden name is Womack, but she never changed it back after divorcing her husband, is fierce — from her fiery red hair to her past-times in activism, she’s all around the woman-to-be. She tends to keep a low profile, despite constantly being on our favorite television series, so her are 10 things you probably didn’t know about the 48-year-old actress:

10. Southern Belle

Connie can do a really, really good Southern accent, which we get to hear in her roles as Tami Taylor and Rayna James. To our surprise, she’s not a Southern native, she was actually born in Boston, MA, but she spent many years in a small-town in Virginia. In an interview back in 2008, Connie said, “I grew up in the South. I have always had a real love for Southern women. There is something very unique about them to me.”

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9. Lucious Red Locks

Her beautiful red locks are just as famous as she is. In fact, her hair has it’s own twitter page. In a video for the Representation Project’s #AskHerMore, she teamed up with her Nashville co-star Lauren Benanti to answer everyone’s questions about her hair: “When used regularly, feminism has been known to produce amazing results.” Power to ya, Connie!

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8. Scared of the Horror Genre

She’s scared of horror movies despite the fact that she had a leading role in the popular scary television series American Horror Story and film Nightmare on Elm Street. She admitted she couldn’t get through watching one episode of AHS by herself: “I started watching it at night, and I just couldn’t. I had to turn it off. I’m such a baby.”

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7. Presidential Invite

She was personally invited by President Obama into the oval office at the White House during one of her visits. “I was so nervous that I walked in and there was the President and it was just me and the President and I was really excited so the first thing I said was ‘I don’t think you do work at that desk because it’s too clean.’ As soon as I said it I thought…I shouldn’t have lead with that.”

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6. Twin Sister

She has a twin sister named Cynthia Womack.

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5. Roommate

Connie Britton and fellow actress Lauren Graham (from Gilmore Girls) used to be roommates. “We lived in an empty house that we weren’t supposed to be living in,” Graham revealed in an interview with Andy Cohen. “We had no furniture and all we ate were Rice Krispies Treats.”

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4. BFF’s with Sophia Bush

She’s really good friends with Sophia Bush. Sophia Bush said in an interview that she had the biggest girl crush on Connie and basically sought out her friendship. Sophia said, “Not only is she fabulous and fierce, and the best actress, and has the best hair, and she works with the UN. I was like, ‘This woman is nailing it,’ but she just seems like the kind of person you could have a whiskey with, right?” We agree, Sophia! Eventually, the two actresses ran into each other at a White House Correspondents dinner and became fast friends. These two have a lot in common — they are both extremely active in various humanitarian efforts. Sophia said, “We wound up sharing a couple of whiskeys; cut to this summer: I actually brought Connie to Uganda with me and we’re sitting on the Nile drinking whiskey with her 4-year-old and I was like, ‘I am the creepy fan who became your friend and now you’re my bestie. I did it! I win!”

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3. Television Debut

The first television show she ever did was a short arc on Ellen in 1996. “When I got on the ‘Ellen’ show, my dreams came true,” she said on the Ellen DeGeneres show in back in 2011. Today, she’s been nominated for three Best Actress Emmys and one Best Actress Golden Globe. Sounds like she’s officially made it!

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2. Ethiopian Son

She’s been working on a documentary about Ethiopian orphans for the past 10 years, but it’s still not finished. Working on her documentary is what made her want to adopt a child, so in 2011, she adopted her son, Yoby.

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1. Fluent in Chinese

Connie speaks fluent Chinese. She attended Darthmouth college and majored in Asian studies with the hopes of one day becoming an ambassador. When she was a student, she spent a summer abroad studying in Beijing! Today she is a United Nations goodwill ambassador.