Connie Britton Learned 'Empathy for Myself' as a Mom in Devastating Here After Role: 'This Is So Hard' (Exclusive)

Connie Britton tapped into deep emotion as a grieving mother in Here After.

The actress spoked with PEOPLE about the new supernatural drama-thriller, revealing that "playing all of these different scenes as a mother again in a different way gave me empathy for myself, and empathy for what it is to be a mom."

A parent to 13-year-old son Yoby, Britton, 57, says of her role in Here After, "It's kind of like, 'This is so hard.' Also, the natural pull, the natural draw that we have to protect our children and do anything we have to do for their sake, that's profound and powerful, and also can be destructive."

Here After, from Paramount Pictures, sees Britton as Claire, a mother who "is overjoyed when her daughter Robin (Freya Hannan-Mills) is miraculously revived after a fatal accident," per a synopsis.

"But her relief turns to dread as Claire notices changes in her daughter, suspecting something dark has followed her back from the brink of death," the synopsis adds.

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Directed by Robert Salerno, Here After also stars Giovanni Cirfiera and takes audiences on a gripping ride that features elements of horror, with deep messages about grief, love and loss.

"It's really human and moving, and it's a psychological exploration that feels extremely universal and something we can all relate to," Britton says. "When I read the script, that was what really jumped out at me."

The Friday Night Lights alum explains that the story is "based in elements that we can all recognize," citing "grief and loss and guilt, and how those things can be devastating in our lives."

"It feels like a unique way to tell a psychological thriller story that also taps into what it is to be a parent and what it is to be a mother and what it is to experience deep loss," she adds.

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Asked whether anything about her own experience as a parent made it easier or more difficult to film Here After, Britton says she "can't imagine" being in Claire's shoes.

"I also think that if I was in that situation, I too would probably lose it and flip my lid," she says.

While Yoby visited his mom on set in Italy while she filmed the PG-13 movie, "I don't know that I would let him see it right now," Britton says.

"He might also just be like, 'Mom, this is boring,' " she jokes.

Here After is in select theaters and on digital Sept. 13.