TECUMSEH, Neb. -- An Amazon Prime series is debuting its second season this week, and southeast Nebraskans are likely to recognize one of the faces on the program.

Brent Pope, who graduated from Tecumseh High School and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was cast in a key role for the show With Love, which begins airing its new season on Friday.

But the role wasn't without complications for Pope, a Husker fan who grew up with Nebraska football legend Matt Davison. Pope had to play a Texas fan, and he had to throw the "hook 'em horns" hand signal several times as part of the role.

"I've had several people say, 'Wow, dude, just wow,' or like, 'How dare you,' all the things you'd think you would get from Nebraska fans playing someone who is a Texas fan," Pope said.

Pope, who lives in Los Angeles, shot the show in May through August of last year, which may have prevented him from experiencing additional heartbreak as a Husker fan.

"Funnily enough, since I am a Nebraska grad and I wanted to go to the Nebraska-Northwestern game last year, I was supposed to go to Ireland to be at the game," Pope said. "And, as the schedule worked out, I couldn't go to Ireland. I literally booked a trip to Ireland and couldn't go because I was shooting this show...After I watched the game, I was like, 'I'm kind of glad I didn't go.'"

Pope, who has also acted in HBO's Silicon Valley, ABC's Roseanne, FX's Better Things, Hulu's Casual, ABC's Speechless, CBS's Living Biblically and more, said the show was also an important opportunity to represent his heritage.

"I'm half Filipino," Pope said. "This is the first time I've ever played a character that was named as a Filipino man. At the age that I am, that's kind of crazy."

It is the first time in American television history that a Filipino nuclear family has been played entirely by actors of Filipino ancestry.

A U.S. Navy veteran who has seen much of the world, Pope said he still had his eye on home when thinking about representation in the program.

"I had fun in Tecumseh, but it wasn't the most diverse place obviously," Pope said of his hometown. "A lot of Nebraska isn't just because it's in the middle of the country. It gets more and more diverse as we go...It was very important to me, and I can't wait for my family to see it."

When not acting, Pope hosts the podcast Brentfast, which he started in 2019. Pope interviews fellow entertainment professionals while eating breakfast at various LA-area restaurants, allowing him and his guests to discuss food, the industry, and their creative journeys. 

"I think you can learn things about people if they prefer French toast over a waffle, or their eggs over easy instead of an omelette," Pope said. "I think that says things about people, and I think it's a fun jumping off point."

You can watch Pope in the new season of With Love on Amazon Prime starting Friday.