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In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE magazine, Scott Porter spoke about the strong bond between the cast of the series. «Friday Night Lights» , which remains even 15 years after its completion.
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«"We have an incredible cast, and I'm not talking about talent, I'm talking about people," Porter said.
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The cast recently reunited at the ATX TV Festival, celebrating the show's 20th anniversary, to celebrate its enduring impact across generations.
Actors of the series «Friday Night Lights» still support each other - even 15 years after the show ended.
Scott Porter, who attended the MPTF NextGen 2026 Summer Party at The Aster in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 31, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about his experience watching Michael B. Jordan and Jesse Plemons thrive during the latest awards season.
«One of the coolest moments at all the awards shows this year was when Michael B. got up on stage to accept his award and turned around and pointed to Jesse, who was also sitting in the front row because he was also nominated,» said Porter, 46, referring to the 2026 Academy Awards, where Jordan won the award for Best Actor in in the film "Sinners"« , and Plemons was nominated in that category for the film "Bugonia"« .
Michael B. Jordan at the Academy Awards on March 15, 2026. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty.
He added: «We have a cast [of the series]« Friday Night Lights »"An incredible team has come together, and I'm not talking about talent, but about people. So to see these two people, of whom I'm so proud, almost like brothers, receiving recognition and still finding time to connect with each other—that's what's truly important.".
Porter played Jason Street, 38-year-old Plemons played Landry Clark, and 39-year-old Jordan played Vince Howard.
Michael B. Jordan in "The Sinners" (2025); Jesse Plemons in "Bugonia" (2025). Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures; Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features
During the interview, Porter said he "can always cross paths" with his castmates, whether it's Plemons or Zach Gilford, as the group still tries to "keep in touch," which he finds "really cool.".
«"We don't even have to go back to how we were before because we talk all the time," Porter said. "I was chatting with Jesse at the beginning of the year. I had lunch with Gaius [Charles]. Zach [Gilford] and I were roommates when we were filming the show, and we still keep in touch and run into each other all the time because everyone's always working. So we see each other briefly in different cities where new shows are filming, and we continue to hang out.".
Porter also attended a meeting dedicated to the series' 20th anniversary. «Friday Night Lights, The cast and crew were present at the May 29th ATX TV Festival in Austin. The meeting was attended by the entire cast, including Plemons, Connie Britton, Kyle Chandler, Gaius Charles, Brad Leland, Adrianne Palicki, Derek Phillips, Stacey Oristano, Luanne Stephens, and Aimee Teegarden, as well as showrunner Jason Katims, director Jeffrey Reiner, and writers David Hudgins and Kerry Ehrin.
The cast of Friday Night Lights at the ATX TV Festival in May 2026. Photo: Drew Doggett | @drew_doggett
According to CultureMap Austin, the band received the 2026 Texas Made Award at the festival. Porter recalls the event as "a jubilant atmosphere.".
«"People say, 'You can't go home,' but we felt like we had," he said. "We were just having dinner and lunch together, chatting, and walking the streets of the city where we once worked, where many of us started our careers. And it was just incredible to look back. To realize that 20 years ago we did something that I think people now consider something special, and it became a legendary show that is now passed down from generation to generation.".
«"I see so many kids who are like, 'Hey, I just watched this show. My dad said I should do it. And we had a great time.' And the fact that this show creates family bonds is deeper than anything I've ever done on screen. And to me, family will always be just that, my family," Porter continued.
In November 2025, Porter and Guilford posed for a photo shoot for PEOPLE magazine's Sexiest Man Alive issue.
«"The last text I sent to Zach was, 'Isn't it funny that they asked us to do this?'" Porter joked during their joint interview.
As for why Porter believes that Friday Night Lights« still lives in the hearts of people, he believes that it is passed down from generation to generation.
«The show never patronizes its viewers,” he told PEOPLE. “It encourages them to critically evaluate each character. I’m so happy and feel so blessed that people love this show so much. It seems to be passed down from generation to generation. I talk to 16-year-olds who have just started watching.” «Friday Night Lights »"And they still treat him the same way they did almost 20 years ago, which is just incredible to me.".
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Porter, who has an 11-year-old son, McCoy, and an 8-year-old daughter, Clover, with wife Kelsey Mayfield, said his children haven't seen the show yet.
He said, "I think my son has a couple of years left. I think when he gets to middle school, we could watch something like «Friday Night Lights» , so that I can discuss these types of topics with him based on what he sees in the show.".
Read the original article on People.