Charles Esten and Colin Linden
Charles Esten, right, at work with musician Colin Linden. “I’m not as good a guitar player as Deacon, and I have to work hard at that,” Esten tells The Hollywood Reporter.
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Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong -
The Stella Sisters
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong On-screen siblings Lennon, left, and Maisy Stella are the real-life Stella Sisters, a YouTube phenom before the show aired their popular cover of the Lumineers’ “Ho Hey.” (More than 2 million tracks and 300,000 soundtracks have been sold from the series.) During downtime, the duo trying on clothes in the wardrobe department. “When we get really lucky, we hang out with Yoby, Connie’s [infant] son,” says Maisy.
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Eric Close
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong Eric Close, who stars as Rayna’s estranged husband, Teddy, credits Britton for upping his acting game, noting, “She’s a producer on the show and cares deeply about the material and storylines.”
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The Blurbird
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong The series has reconstructed sets of the Bluebird Cafe and other famed Nashville venues, including an arena to stand in for large tour scenes.
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Dee Johnson and Callie Khouri
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong “Season one was a hurtling train ride,” says showrunner Dee Johnson, left, with Nashville's creator Callie Khouri. “We’re going into season two knowing what the beat is and can calibrate and manage it better.”
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Charles Esten and the Stella Sisters
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong “There’s a line Deacon says [to Rayna’s daughters], ‘I'm afraid you might blow me away’ — and that’s real,” says Esten of performing with the Stella Sisters.
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‘What Matters’
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong Connie Britton with Charles Esten (who plays her lover Deacon) and onscreen daughter, Maddie (Lennon Stella), on the set April 9. “What matters is the connection with Deacon and Rayna as they sing to each other,” says Esten.
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The Brit
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong Brit Sam Palladio, who plays Gunnar, with Clare Bowen as Scarlett, hadn’t been to the U.S. before Nashville. His biggest challenge is mastering Gunnar's accent. “I don’t drop it until I go home,” he says.
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‘Just Keep Swimming’
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong As Rayna’s rival Juliette, Hayden Panettiere (right, with her onscreen assistant Emily, played by Kourtney Hansen) admits she uses Finding Nemo’s “Just keep swimming!” line to get her through stage fright.
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Hayden Panettiere
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong Panettiere confesses to being the goofball on set. She says she's the first to sing and dance between takes and to rally the troops during especially difficult production days.