There are few actor-director duos more fiercely loyal — or more deeply bonded — thanPeter BergandTaylor Kitsch. FromFriday Night LightstoLone Survivor, and nowNetflix’s brutal frontier dramaAmerican Primeval, the two have forged a creative relationship built on mutual trust, shared taste, and, apparently, a healthy hatred for humanity: “He was the first call,” Berg said in a wide-ranging conversation withTaylor Sheridan. “Kitschis as close to Isaac as you’ll find that I know of as an actor. You know he hates people. He barely tolerates me.”
And it’s not a bit.Kitsch lives alone outside of Bozeman, Montana, mostly preferring wolves to humans. “All he really wants to do is just go follow wolves around with his camera, and occasionally come down and make enough money to pay for his wolf habit,” Berg added. “That dude is addicted to wolves.”
The lone wolf and emotionally scorched energy made Kitsch a perfect fit forIsaac, the broken frontiersman at the center of the brutal survival series. But it’s more than a vibe. Kitsch did the work.
“He loves Native American culture, and he loves that kind of lone, broken, isolated, dysfunctional character. He spent all his time with the indigenous consultants and pretty much didn’t talk to anyone else. It was a good fit.”
Taylor Sheridan Loves Taylor Kitsch’s Work
Sheridan, who once taught Kitsch in an acting class, remembered that same rare intensity early on. “He was always really, really talented,” Sheridan said. “There’s an intensity a lot of times with male actors. Some of them can be believable, but can’t connect emotionally. And there are other guys that can connect emotionally, but you don’t believe a word that comes out of their mouth. Kitsch could do both.”
Sheridan recalled coaching actors through the power of language— how stressing a different word or syllable could alter the entire meaning of a line. “Some people naturally have that gift,” he said. “Kitsch doesn’t have to think about it.”
When asked who else belongs in that rare group, Sheridan had one name:Sam Elliott. “He has this effortless ability to stress the perfect syllable, to impact the meaning of a sentence and completely fill it with emotion, effortlessly,” Sheridan said. “I was just with him on set two hours ago. It’s so great to be back with him.”
For both directors, Elliott and Kitsch are cut from the same cloth — men who bring a proper authenticity to characters carved from pain, place, and purpose. “Kitsch shunned Hollywood before shunning Hollywood was fashionable,” Sheridan said. “He did one pilot that took him to Austin, and he never came back.”
American Primevalis streaming now on Netflix.
American Primeval
Source:Gold Derby
