Minka Kelly worked as a nurse before landing a role on Friday Night Lights
David Mack
Updated on March 12, 2026
Friday Night Lights star Minka Kelly opened up about how she got the role of Lyla Garrity on the now cult TV show and her surprising non-acting roots. During an event thrown by house hunting website Trulia, Minka (who I’m sure was glad to not have to address any rumors about her love life), discussed how she learned about the role as well as the show’s enduring popularity.
Her initial thoughts on FNL: “It was the first pilot that I auditioned for! I was working as a nurse at the time and I remember my agent saying they had an audition for me for this Friday Night Lights, and I’d seen the movie, and I was like, ‘Why? A sports show? Based on a movie? Ugh, OK’…I had no idea I’d be so lucky. At that time in my life and my career, I would have taken anything! I would have done anything! But that happened to be it!”
An impromptu reunion with an FNL co-star: “I ran into Jesse Plemons [Landry Clarke] at the airport recently and there’s this moment of, ‘Ahh!’ and I’m just so proud of him. He’s doing so great. I love when I see any of them.”
On FNL’s increased popularity since streaming on Netflix: “We were hanging on by the skin of our teeth when we were shooting it – we barely got every season that we got because the ratings were so low. It’s like, ‘Where were you guys back then?'”
On Amy Schumer’s “flattering” FNL parody: “I’m such a huge fan of hers. It was very funny. With the big, huge wineglasses!”
On her upcoming LA relocation: “I’m moving because the house I’m in now is surrounded by trees and I don’t get a lot of natural light, and I live in a canyon so there’s no sidewalks to walk my dogs.”
[From US Magazine and New York Daily News]
In addition to her acting endeavors, Minka graduated from culinary school last year. Her Instagram feed has documented her journey, with mouthwatering photos of her souffles, fresh pastas, and delicious salads. Her dishes look perfect for entertaining. With a group of friends like Minka’s, I’m sure there are lots of opportunities for dinner parties. Minka has quite an impressive squad, including Mandy Moore, Chrissy Teigen and Kourtney Kardashian. She recently told InStyle magazine, “I’ve surrounded myself with such strong, intelligent, fiercely loving women. They inspire me every day. Love from women is like nothing else.”
I’m impressed to hear about Minka’s pre-FNL life. I’m sure her medical background helped her with her culinary knife skills. Since she’s friends with Chrissy, you know there’s probably a Minka cookbook coming soon. May I suggests “Friday Night Bites” as a title? Sorry, I know that was terrible.
A photo posted by Minka Kelly (@minkak) on
Photo credit: WENN.com, Fame Flynet, Instagram/Minka Kelly
