'I need to do a f–king rom-com': American Primeval star Taylor Kitsch reflects on his intense roles

30:12Taylor Kitsch: American Primeval, Friday Night Lights & acting as “service”

For the last 20 years, Taylor Kitsch has been disappearing into his roles — and taking away a lot more from the experience than most actors.

After wrapping his breakout part as a football player on Friday Night Lights, Kitsch decided to move to Austin, Texas where the show was shot. He also took up wildlife photography after playing a photojournalist in The Bang Bang Club, maintained close ties with Navy SEALs after playing a lieutenant in Lone Survivor, and opened a sobriety facility for veterans after playing an opioid addict in last year's Painkiller.

"I got to learn to let go," Kitsch says with a laugh in an interview with Q's Tom Power. "I think it's a blessing and maybe a little bit of a curse that I'm quite sensitive to [my] projects."

For his latest role as a Shoshone-raised white man in Netflix's new limited series American Primeval, Kitsch learned the Shoshone language from elders at the Wind River Reservation and worked with a Montana-based shaman, whom he recently spent New Year's Eve with.

"One of my dialect coaches, she's in her late 70s and the last thing she wants to do is get this language written down," he says. "I'm so lucky to do this kind of stuff."

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.​​​​​- Taylor Kitsch

Directed and produced by Kitsch's frequent collaborator Peter Berg, American Primeval explores the violent birth of the American West through the eyes of different characters who are all fighting to survive.

Kitsch, who's very intentional about the roles he takes on, says he considers his work to be an act of service. "Maybe it's a little self-aggrandizing," he tells Power. "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."

But he adds that the responsibility he feels toward his roles can also be a bit intense. "I need to do a f–king rom-com is what I need to do, just chill out."

Will Kitsch appear in the Friday Night Lights reboot?

Back in November 2024, it was announced that a new Friday Night Lights series was in development at Peacock. The original series, which aired from 2006 to 2011 on NBC, followed a high school football team in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas.

As for whether or not Kitsch is interested in returning for the reboot, he says he doesn't plan on reprising his role as Tim Riggins or joining the series as a lead.

"I love where I'm at," he tells Power. "I really couldn't be in a better spot for what I set out to do. And I just think we've done it, right? To go back to Riggs would be very unfulfilling, to be honest. I want to keep stretching and keep trying crazy stuff and keep everyone else on their toes."

While Kitsch is adamant that he won't play the character again, he says he would consider taking on a guest appearance as a coach on another team. Then again, he's learned to never say never.

"I mean, I'm for sale if they want to pay me $10 million an episode," he adds. "I'll play Riggins in a Scottish accent if they want."

The full interview with Taylor Kitsch is available on our YouTube channel and on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Taylor Kitsch produced by Catherine Stockhausen.