Taylor Kitsch got his big break in Hollywood back in 2006 when he portrayed Tim Riggins on the hit teen drama Friday Night Lights, and since then he’s continued to throw himself into roles on projects like Painkiller, The Terminal List (as well as its upcoming spinoff) and Lone Survivor. It’s quite an intense resume he’s compiled, and that includes his most recent series, American Primeval, a new Netflix show to hit the 2025 TV schedule. Kitsch took a moment to look at his career and admitted maybe it’s time to step into something a little lighter.
For his role as Isaac Reed on American Primeval — which Rotten Tomatoes viewers have been all over — Taylor Kitsch learned the Shoshone language, CBC reports, to portray a man raised by the tribe in the 19th century around the time of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. That reportedly follows other big moves like opening a sobriety facility for veterans following his role as an opioid addict on Painkiller (which can also be streamed with a Netflix subscription) and moving to Texas while filming Friday Night Lights. Kitsch admitted that he becomes quite committed, saying:
I got to learn to let go. [Laughs.] I think it's a blessing and maybe a little bit of a curse that I'm quite sensitive to [my] projects.
An actor allowing himself to be consumed by the subjects he’s portraying can often bring realism and empathy to a production, and it’s obvious those people and places stick with him. He also reportedly took up wildlife photography after the 2010 film The Bang Bang Club and remained close to the Navy SEALS after portraying an officer on Lone Survivor and The Terminal List. Taylor Kitsch continued:
Maybe it's a little self-aggrandizing. I just think it's a great way to look at it — to give yourself to a project worth telling. . . . You're servicing something bigger than you. There's a legacy. There's something there that humbles you quite quickly and I love that challenge.
It certainly sounds challenging — and fulfilling — but it also sounds like a lot for the actor to put himself through. He seemed to admit that, as he said:
I need to do a fucking rom-com is what I need to do, just chill out.
Unfortunately for Friday Night Lights fans, that probably doesn’t mean we’ll see him in the reboot of the beloved high school football series. While he did answer some of CinemaBlend’s questions regarding the FNL reboot, Taylor Kitsch said he really has no interest in reprising the role of Tim Riggins to star in the new series. He is, however, possibly open to a guest appearance — maybe one that wouldn’t inspire him to move to Texas again.
We’ll be keeping an eye on Taylor Kitsch’s projects to see if he ever does get around to that rom-com, but for now, the limited series American Primeval can be streamed in full on Netflix.
