Connie Britton is exploring a more layered take on motherhood in Phony, a Hulu series about a teenager who suspects his mother has been replaced by an impostor after a car accident.
Britton plays both versions of the mother, while Sam Nivola stars as Sonny, a boy trying to make sense of the sudden shift in their relationship.
In an interview with Good Morning America on Tuesday, Britton spoke about the difficulty of portraying different versions of the same maternal figure.
The series moves her familiar screen persona into a story built on uncertainty, family bonds, and the passage from adolescence into adulthood.
Britton said switching between the character's versions let her approach the role from contrasting angles.
"It was very interesting sort of doing that and shifting gears like that. But that was what the fun challenge was," she told Good Morning America.
A Story About Separation and Growing Up
The story centers on Sonny's close bond with his mother before the accident.
According to the series trailer, he sees her as both a parent and a best friend, but starts to question her identity when he wakes up after the crash.
Nivola said the central conflict reflects a familiar stage of growing up, when children begin to see their parents as individuals rather than infallible figures.
He described the story as an exploration of separation and the emotional strain that comes with developing an independent identity.
"It's about that kind of moment of separation and becoming distinct from your family and your parents and when you realize that maybe your parents aren't these sort of omniscient god beings that you thought they were and how that's painful, but also universal," Nivola told Good Morning America.
Nivola also praised working with Britton, calling the production an important opportunity in his career.
He said their conversations went beyond acting to include the story itself and the characters' roles within it.
"I felt like I really had the access and opportunity to have really deep, creative discussions with her," Nivola said.
"She's so smart about all of it, not just acting but story and about understanding your character's place in the story and I just learned so much from her."
Britton, whose television credits include 24, Friday Night Lights, Nashville, and The White Lotus, also reflected on her history of playing mothers.
She said the range of experiences and personalities among mothers gives actors room to explore distinct characters rather than repeat the same portrayal.
"I think they're the greatest on the planet," Britton said. "Every single mom is different from every single other mom.
And so every opportunity I get to play a mom is an opportunity to show our uniqueness and that one isn't exactly the same as another."
She added that the character in Phony continues that approach, with the role's multiple versions offering a different take on motherhood.
"Playing this mom in all of her versions is pretty cool," Britton said.
Phony is available to stream on Hulu. Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Hulu.
