Imagine my surprise when I was granted the incredible opportunity to have a charming little Q&A with my favorite person currently on TV – Taylor Kitsch, AKA Friday Night Lights’ Tim Riggins.
If you’re not watching Friday Night Lights yet, I hope his candid answers intrigue you enough to check in on Wednesday night at 8PM. I promise you, 10 minutes with this show, and you’ll forget about anything else!
I want to start off by saying thank you – I’m one of the ardent fans that worships FNL for all its perfection. thetvaddict.com loves the show and your character in particular!
Taylor: Thank you and I appreciate the kind notes on the show.
What attracted you to “Friday Night Lights” (which I feel is one of the only steady bright lights on the TV canvas this year)? Had you seen the movie or read the book off of which the pilot was based?
Opportunity to work with Peter Berg was something I just couldn’t pass on. He [Berg] played a great role in casting me and helping me through the pilot and so forth. I’m still close to him and looking forward to working with him in the future.
Playing Tim Riggins was also the other factor. I could see right away he was something I could definitely sink my teeth into. I love playing him and feel he has many layers to him.
I watched the film AFTER getting the role of Riggs. I liked it a lot but I feel our show has had the opportunity to go deeper into the lives of the characters which is great.
How do you (and the cast) feel about being completely worshipped by critics (and your network, NBC), but not being devoured by the entire viewing public? For the record, I’m dumbfounded. Haven’t missed an episode, won’t miss an episode, and though it may sound crazy, I can’t imagine the TV world without FNL on weekly.
Very flattered and I know we are all very proud of the show and what we have accomplished thus far. We have had such great support from NBC and knowing that has allowed us to just try and keep focused at doing our work and having fun — rather than worrying and stressing about ratings and who is and who isn’t watching the show. Obviously we would love a bigger audience, but we feel if we can keep doing strong work and staying real with what the show is all about it will simply be a matter of time.
Along those lines, without saying “it’s a show about the Dillon Panthers football team”, how would you describe the show for a viewer who might be interested but is still apprehensive about the whole sports aspect of the storyline?
The show is about life and how [at] any moment it can change — right before your eyes. It’s very real and relatable to all age groups. Football is obviously a part of the show, but once given a chance you will see how it plays a role in bringing the characters together (or apart) AND HOW IT RELATES TO SO MANY OF LIFE’S MOMENTS.
What should we viewers expect to see as the rest of Sweeps and the TV season comes to an end?
Expect to see a ton more character development with some great moments that will leave you even more excited for the next ….that’s all you’re getting. [Note: I like to imagine he made a cute little smirk type face there….]
What is your take on the Tim/Lyla/Jason/Tyra quadrangle? Are you pro- any specific coupling, or is the “true to life, things don’t always work out in the end” story the way you want to see it go?
I think it made for some amazing moments and for some amazing TV. I loved playing and being a part of it. It’s fun to work with all of them — especially playing the high stakes that were on the table. I don’t think I’m ‘pro’ any coupling really. Like I said, I just love playing the stakes of everything that wasn’t said in those great moments. Lookin’ forward to hopefully doing more.
Is FNL and the storylines that you all portray anything like your high school experience? Also, how much of Taylor Kitsch is shown in Tim Riggins?
Thankfully no. My high school days did not consist of what Riggins goes through. It’s a lot for anyone to take in especially a 17 year old kid. Sure there’s parts of me in Riggins. I feel everyone can relate to him in one way or another. Being jaded and hurt with people he wanted to trust so badly, to how he struggles to deal with such difficult moments that life has thrown him and how he buries his feelings or resort to alcohol to escape it all. I love his intensity on the field and I’m grateful to play him like that [because] being involved with sport my whole life just adds to the realism of those moments.
Who are you closest with when the cameras stop rolling?
Minka Kelly, Kyle Chandler.
Who do you wish you spent more screen time with – who do you wish shared a more meaty storyline with Riggins?
I would love to work more with Kyle Chandler simply [because] he’s brilliant and makes everyone better around him. I’ve learned a lot just watching him. Billy (Derek Phillips) and I have great chemistry and I would love to work with him even more as well.
Where do you see yourself as your career moves forward — What are goals you’ve set/where do you want your career to take you?
I simply want to work with great actors and do challenging roles that I could envelope myself with. Never know where this or the next thing will take you, just wanna have fun and do rewarding work.
Who do you model yourself after, as far as acting goes?
Love Sean Penn and his intensity and also Daniel Day-Lewis — such great presence. I also love comedy so hopefully I’ll be able to tackle some diverse roles.
What would you be if you weren’t acting?
I love kids so something working with kids. Nutrition for ill kids would be great to get involved with. Something like that if I wasn’t acting.
What TV are you watching, when you have time? What are your absolute favourite TV shows?
Favourite shows range from ‘Inside the Actors Studio’, Family Guy, FNL, Documentaries…
Aside from finishing up the season on FNL, what is next on your schedule? How busy are you through the rest of the year – anything big on the horizon?
As far as what’s ahead in the year, I guess time will tell. I’m excited for what’s to come but we will soooooon find out!!! Stay tuned.
Thanks!
Thanks for this and stay tuned… Friday Night Lights is getting very very gooooood…
Is there anything better than that right there? Do yourselves a favour and check out this amazing show on NBC (Wednesday nights at 8PM). Catch up on old episodes at NBC.com or on Itunes! What more do we need to do to get you all as hooked as we are here at thetvaddict.com??