Jurnee Smollett will play Jess, the daughter of a onetime NFL hopeful, who helps her father raise her siblings, on "Friday Night Lights." In 1997, Jurnee earned a Young Star Award nomination for her title role in the independent drama "Eve's Bayou." Later she costarred with her siblings in the television comedy "On Our Own," and appeared in numerous television shows such as "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" and "Full House." She most recently played Beth, a terminally ill girl who undergoes a clinical trial, on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." Jurnee has been active in HIV/AIDS-involved causes since she was twelve. She has spoken at the Ryan White Youth Conference, and elsewhere, about this issue.