You may know Shawn Parr’s voice from radio and TV—he hosts nationally syndicated radio show Nash Nights Live and he’s the voice of the ACMs, AMAs and The Golden Globes—but now he’s adding acting to his resumé.

Shawn is making his third appearance on the beloved hour-long drama, premiering tonight (Jan. 5) on CMT, this time as a co-star. Nashville originally aired on ABC for four seasons before being cancelled by the network. After petitions and an outcry from fans, CMT came to the rescue, picking up the show for a fifth season.

“I play a radio DJ, so obviously there’s a lot of method acting involved,” Shawn tells Nash Country Daily with a laugh. “It’s my third time doing Nashville but this is my first time as a co-star. I was trying to not be overexcited because I was working with two of my favorite characters—I love Gunnar and I love Scarlett so much.”

Nashville follows the trials and tribulations of Rayna Jaymes, played by Connie Britton and Juliette Barnes, played by Hayden Panettiere.  Surrounding them and often complicating their lives are their family, friends and, in some cases, lovers, as well as the up-and-coming performers and songwriters trying to get ahead in the business.

“The coolest thing about it is Gunnar just sings all the time even when he’s not on set and Scarlett never breaks character,” adds Shawn. “Even when we are getting ready to shoot the scene or we’re in a break for 10 minutes, we had a conversation and she was Scarlett, she wasn’t her Aussie self. I have a lot of respect for both of them and they work so hard. It was just a lot of fun. It was a blast.”

Nashville stars Connie Britton as Rayna Jaymes, Hayden Panettiere as Juliette Barnes, Clare Bowen as Scarlett O’Connor, Chris Carmack as Will Lexington, Charles Esten as Deacon Claybourne, Jonathan Jackson as Avery Barkley, Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott, Maisy Stella as Daphne Conrad and Lennon Stella as Maddie Conrad.

Don’t miss the special two-hour season premiere of Nashville, tonight Jan. 5, at 9 p.m. ET on CMT.