Bill Paxton stars in “Texas Rising”

Before moving out to La La Land and going on to star in such Hollywood blockbusters as "Aliens" (1986), "Twister" (1996) and "Titanic" (1997), Bill Paxton was a young fella growing up in Fort Worth, Texas.

In the wake of the success of the 2012 miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys," which scored the actor an Emmy nomination, Paxton is now returning to History to help tell the story of a major event in the history of his home state. "Texas Rising" gives a dramatic account of the Texas Revolution and the formation of those enduring symbols of the Old West -- the Texas Rangers.

Shortly before the show's premiere, Paxton sat down for an exclusive interview with TV Media to talk about the five-part miniseries and his experiences filming in Durango, Mexico, last summer. "Texas Rising" premiered Memorial Day and wraps up its 10-hour run Monday, June 15, on History.

The versatile actor's lengthy resumé includes roles in a wide range of action, sci-fi and comedy films, but it's also heavily peppered with historical dramas, including "Tombstone" (1993), "Apollo 13" (1995) and "A Bright Shining Lie" (1998). He's gotten a lot of love for his portrayal of Randall McCoy in "Hatfields & McCoys," and he didn't need a lot of cajoling to collaborate with the same team for a subject that hits close to home.

"When the same network, History, the same writers and same producer, same cinematographer were coming together to tell a story I could relate to much more and was connected to, I said: 'I've just got to be involved in this,'" he said.

That connection goes much deeper than his hometown. In "Texas Rising," Paxton plays Sam Houston, a politician and soldier and a major figure in the state's history, having been integral in winning Texas' independence from Mexico and bringing it into the United States.

It's not every actor that gets the opportunity to play his own ancestor, but as fate would have it, Houston and Paxton are distantly related. Growing up, the actor was aware that Houston's mother was a Paxton, making her related to him through his dad's side of the family, but it wasn't until he started researching the role that he learned how they were actually connected.

"We shared common grandparents six generations ago, so going back to the 18th century, which makes us very distantly related, second cousins four times removed," he revealed. "Of course, that also made me feel that maybe there was some kind of fate involved in me getting to play this role ... I still can't believe it."

Before the production had even secured financing, he sat down with director Roland Joffé to discuss the project. At the end of the meeting, Paxton told him: "You know, I would really like to do this, I feel like I was born to play this guy." To which Joffé replied: "I believe you were, too."

Bill Paxton as seen in “Texas Rising”

While many of the characters and events are lifted straight from the history books, some have, of course, been fictionalized for the sake of story. This is just fine with Paxton, who did a good deal of research before filming began, so long as the important details remain true.

"We follow the events of the day, we follow the men of the day for the most part. ... I don't mind certain aspects of this production being historical fiction, but by the same token, I was adamant about getting certain aspects as close to authentic as we could. It adds a responsibility to try to get it right."

"I had a pretty good handle [on the subject matter], but I love to do research," he said, "especially when you have someone of this rich a personage [Houston] and that there's so much written about. To me, the more research you do, the more conviction of character you have."

His research has even made its way into the script. While reading up on his character, Paxton came across a letter Houston had written after the death of Deaf Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, "Watchmen," 2009), who died of consumption some years after the events covered in "Texas Rising." According to Paxton, his character has "kind of a bromance" with Smith, who's looked at as the original Texas Ranger.

"The Rangers were the Texas army scouts, but they were really Houston's elite guard," he explained. "They were the king's men, and they were the only guys he really trusted because his own officers were out to betray him and take over."

In the passage Paxton found, Houston describes Smith as "my stay in darkest hour."

"I thought: 'What a beautiful thing to say about somebody.' I get moved just thinking about it now, even. ... There's a scene where I have to eulogize him and I put that [line] in there."

At the end of the day, the native Texan takes a good deal of pride at bringing such an important piece of American history to a broader audience.

"I feel super proud. The story of the Alamo, when word spread ... of this siege, and this heroic standoff where 182 men held off the Mexican army of 5,000 for 13 days -- everyone became a Texan when they read that story. I mean, this story is so big, it is so heroic. It's modern mythology, like what the Spartans were to the Battle of Thermopylae."

While he'll ever be a presence on the big screen, Bill Paxton is also doing quite well for himself on History. This latest role is one near and dear to his heart, and wherever you're from, this depiction of the Texas Revolution is one you won't want to miss. The dramatic finale of "Texas Rising" airs Monday, June 15, on History.