Billy Bob Thornton Gave Tim McGraw the ‘Best Advice’ About Acting During ‘Friday Night Lights’ Shoot

Tim McGraw landed his first starring movie role in Friday Night Lights in 2004, and he admits he was nervous about acting alongside established actors in the now-classic film.

In an interview with the Bobby Bones Show in 2023, McGraw shared the advice Billy Bob Thornton gave him, which he says has helped him ever since.

What Advice Did Billy Bob Thornton Give Tim McGraw About Acting?

"The best advice I ever got as an actor came from Billy Bob Thornton when we were doing Friday Night Lights, and I was scared to death because that was my first big movie," McGraw related.

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"I asked him for any advice he'd give me and he says, 'If you think you're not doing enough, you're probably still doing too much.'"

Friday Night Lights gave McGraw's acting career a sizable launch, grossing $62 million against a $30 million budget and earning glowing reviews. It went on to inspire a television show that ran for five seasons.

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McGraw went to a very successful film career that includes starring roles in Flicka, The Blind Side, Country Strong, Tomorrowland, The Shack and more.

He later reunited with Thornton on television for 1883, a Yellowstone prequel that also starred his wife, Faith Hill.

He told Bones there's one part of the acting process that he still finds nerve-wracking, all these years later.

"I mean, auditioning is tough," McGraw shared.

"It's the hardest thing in the world. The things that I've done that I think that I've done the best at are the things I didn't have to audition for."

McGraw also admitted that he still feels uncertain when he's acting with top-level actors including Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Sam Elliott, Connie Britton and more.

"Every time it's like, 'Do you hate me?'" he said with a laugh.

"Like, when you don't get anything back and they just walk off you're like, 'Did I suck? Did I just ruin that scene for him?'

"I'm pretty calm as long as I know my words. As long as I know the script then I feel pretty calm about it, but I have to say when you're doing a scene with Sam Elliott and you have to stare him down and sort of have a confrontation with him, that gets a little nerve-wracking because he can stare you down pretty good."