Taylor Kitsch grew up in a trailer park: ‘White trash. Growing up, I really was.’

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I’ve decided to hang on to HBO for a while longer just to see if Season 2 of True Detective is worth it. I’m already having mixed feelings about my decision. Vince Vaughn makes me queasy and I really don’t feel much of anything for Taylor Kitsch these days. I used to think he was cute, but he flamed out so hard a few years ago and… I don’t know. I just stopped feeling it. But Kitsch is one of the leads of TD Season 2, and he has a new profile with Elle Magazine to promote it. Elle sent a Friday Night Lights superfan/journalist to interview Taylor and the result was… not the best piece. I basically just learned that the superfan really thinks Taylor Kitsch is hot. Here are some highlights:

Growing up in British Columbia in a trailer park: “White trash. Growing up, I really was. Proud of it.”

His early years as a model in NYC: “It’s not like I was this mainstream f–kin’ runway model. I wasn’t working. I lived in an apartment in Spanish Harlem with no electricity, and then I lost that, so I’d just catch the blue train. It skips a lot of stops at night, and then it stays up at 181st Street, I think. So I’d sleep there. And the security guy would come on and be like, ‘Get out.’ And I’d get out.”

His thoughts on John Carter bombing at the box office: “John Carter was a really great experience,” he tells me—which, of course, is another way of saying, “No regrets,” Riggins’s code and mantra, and, incidentally, Kitsch’s sign-off on personal e-mails.

Filming True Detective: “I didn’t know True was going to be near as emotional. This season—f–k. I could feel Paul seeping into me. I’d be doing something or acting a certain way and think, Oh, this isn’t me.”

He’s currently single: “You sacrifice so f–kin’ much [as an actor]. How do you build a relationship with a gal and then tell her, ‘Hey, I gotta do press all over the world. I expect you to have the same feelings you have now in eight weeks.’ And that’s not me playing the violin. It’s my choice. But it better be worth sacrificing for.”

[From Elle]

Is the problem the way the piece was written – sycophantic and fan-girly – or is the problem that Taylor really isn’t that interesting in real life? I think his aim is to be sort of silent and gritty and all about the work, which might make for a good actor (does it though?) but makes for a terrible interview.

By the way, I spent a moment with VF’s profile of Nic Pizzolatto (the creator/writer behind TD) and that guy sounds like a total douche. You can read that piece here.

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Photos courtesy of Eric Ray Davidson for ELLE and WENN.

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74 Responses to “Taylor Kitsch grew up in a trailer park: ‘White trash. Growing up, I really was.’”

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  1. Shambles says:

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we need to retire the phrase “white trash.” Adding the qualifier of “white” insinuates that white people are normally above being “trashy,” and I don’t like it.

    • Friday says:

      yeah, it’s a pretty glaring mistake that it’s still socially acceptable.
      whenever i explain that to people, they get it right away, and are surprised that they haven’t thought of it before.

      • Shambles says:

        It is pretty crazy when you think about it. People still use it so casually and frequently, but when you take the time to consider what you’re really saying it becomes so obviously uncool.

    • TrustMOnThis says:

      Agreed!
      It also implies that others are inherently trashy.

    • Linn says:

      Personally I think we shouldn’t call any human being trash. Especially not for something like living in a trailer park or being poor in general.

      • Shambles says:

        Excellent point.

      • Kitten says:

        “Trailer trash” is awful. I hate that phrase.

      • Melanine says:

        While I agree people shouldn’t be called trash for being poor or living in a trailer park, some humans really are trash and should be called out as so. There’s pedo trash, racist trash, greedy trash, abusive trash… saying stuff like “no human being should ever be called trash ever” is a little ridiculous.

        Anyway, if we retire “white trash”, can we also retire “ghetto”?

      • Kitten says:

        I stopped saying “ghetto” a loooong time ago.

    • Hawkeye says:

      I spent a few of my childhood years in a trailer park, and that phrase “white trash” was synonymous for me with being very poor and very socially isolated. Agree with you too about the racial implications of that phrase too.

    • Katey says:

      We should just retire language altogether and go back to communicating in grunts and gestures. Would save us SO much time getting offended and insulted and having to alter every phrase in existence to a politically correct counterpart, and then amend it in 5-10 years because the old-new phrase is – SURPRISE! – secretly appalling, too.

      • Shambles says:

        And here I thought we were having an interesting and mature discussion about the words we choose to use when describing our fellow human beings. Thanks for making a joke out of it, though.

        What I hear when I read your comment is, “LALALALALA it makes me uncomfortable to think about the fact that the things I say might hurt people, so I’m just going to cover my ears instead.”

      • Hawkeye says:

        Katey, what’s so great and preservation-worthy about the phrase white trash that inspires you to come out in support of it?

      • anon321 says:

        Katey makes a valid point – if we continue down this politically correct path we are taking where EVERYONE is offended by EVERYTHING, we won’t be able to communicate at all without killing each other.

        Your condescending response proves her point, instead of accepting or offering a response to her opinion you did your best to make her feel that she isn’t interesting and mature enough to participate in the discussion and she had to joking if she disagreed with your point if view. Katey wins.

      • Tifygodess says:

        @shambles I personally don’t like calling anyone hateful names and I totally see what you are saying about white trash, but I also think it’s a slippery slope to “ban” or retire words. Also your response to katey was condescending. Because she didn’t agree with your point of view you assumed she was immature , essentially selfish and uncaring. Which who knows she may or may not be? But is that really for any of us to decide? But Her opinion is also valid whether you agree , I agree or whom ever agrees with it or not. There may have been humor, in your opinion – I actually read it more as sarcasm- with her comment but she’s still entitled to it. You shut her down which gives the message it’s one way or no way. That’s not the definition of a mature conversation.

      • Shambles says:

        Anon, TifyGoddess and Katy, I apologize for responding in a condescending manner instead of taking the time to calmly explain my point of view and invite a more open conversation. That was entirely my mistake, and I’m sorry. It was easy for me to get heated there because– while I do agree that some people tend to look for things to be offended about and that’s tiring– I’m getting just as tired of opinions being dismissed as “you’re just too easily offended/trying to be too politically correct” right off the bat. Neither of those make for productive conversation.

        What I should have said in response to Katy is that language evolves because we evolve. It’s 2015, and I think most people are conscious enough to want to live as respectful and compassionate human beings. We evolved from a country that openly accepted the idea of white surpemacy to a country that’s struggling towards equality, and so our language must evolve along with us. That’s why I feel it’s not outrageous or too politically correct for me to suggest that we retire “white trash” in this day and age. We’re in the place as a species that we can find more intelligent, respectful and compassionate ways to describe someone we find distasteful. Look at the world around us– a hate crime in my neighboring state– and tell me that it’s not time to become conscious of even the smallest nuances that divide us as human beings and get rid of them. I don’t mean to be melodramatic, but it’s time. And I feel like immediately dismissing that notion as being too politically correct is reductionistic, and insulting to those who suffer from these racial micro aggressions every day.

        That being said, you’re all correct in that Katy has a right to her opinion. I apologize for coming off as disrespectful or condescending in the heat of the moment. “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll fight to the death for your right to say it.”

      • Hawkeye says:

        @Shambles, I liked your response. Look at the verbal gymnastics that TifyGoddess and anon321 went through just to protect someone who basically said that her right to be able to use it whenever is more important than the people who are actually offended and affected by it. You weren’t suppressing anyone’s opinion, you were responding to one. I’m with you.

      • Shambles says:

        ‘Preciate ya, Hawkeye.

      • Illyra says:

        It does get a bit ridiculous sometimes Katey, I agree.

      • ozmom says:

        Katey, I’m grunting and gesturing in agreement.

      • Tifygodess says:

        @hawkeye I wasnt actually doing verbal gymnastics- thanks , you completely missed the point. I was actually defending them both. THEY ARE BOTH entitled to their opinions. I also said I did agree with shambles but we have to hold people to the same standards we hold ourselves. You want to change something , make a difference , offer an opinion -you still need to allow a different of opinion to be discussed so maybe people can understand and change. I was very clear. My goodness.

      • hunter says:

        AGREE with this message

    • Kitten says:

      Shamble on, gonna sing my song,
      Gonna work my way all around the world
      Baby, baby Shamble on, yeah…

      • Shambles says:

        ZEPPELIN. I f*ckin love you, Kitten.

      • blue marie says:

        That was just on the radio, get outta my head Kitten.. Walk toward the light as there are a few cobwebs up in there

      • Shambles says:

        Just saw the great Robert Plant himself, live at Bonnaroo. She’s in my head too, Blue Marie.

      • Kitten says:

        It’s fun in Blue Marie’s head. There are actually mimosas up here. No idea how they got here but I’m not complaining.

        Shamblinator you went to Bonnaroo AND saw Plant? Sigh. Quite jealous..

      • Shambles says:

        Kitten, as I lay atop a minivan, smoking a joint and tripping into the sunrise, I felt your spirit there with me.

        *Namaste*

    • wolfpup says:

      White trash was first penned by Harriet Beecher Stowe in “The key to Uncle Tom’s cabin in 1850, although the term was in use in the 1830’s It was used to convey contempt for the white servants whom blacks considered were denigrated by the plantation system in a struggle for subsistence. Nat Turner, who led a slave rebellion in 1831 ended up killing 60 whites, but sparing the poor white inhabitants who they thought felt no better of themselves than blacks. As we feel the continued effects of the plantation system, especially in the deep south, the word is still in usage.

      I’d like to nominate Rosa Parks to be the first woman on our paper bills. Eleanor Roosevelt demonstrates the noblisse oblige of the “blue-blood system”, (and she did a great deal during her husband’s time (FDR) in presidential office, However, Rosa Parks demonstrates the American values that are in process in our country, for All Americans, in that “we are all created equal”. She is also a beautiful woman who demonstrated what we all know to be true in the Declaration of Independence, from England. Blue blood does not fly as a system in the US.

    • Snowflake says:

      Ehh, I don’t agree. To me, it means trashy Caucasian people as opposed to non-white trashy people. Omg, that’s what you mean, isn’t it? Because I’m clarifying that they’re white, as if it’s unusual. So sorry, I get your point.

    • NUTBALLS says:

      I hate any human being being called “trash”, no matter the adjective before it. It’s usually used in reference to the poor, who should be getting our help and understanding instead of our derision.

    • Sarah says:

      +1,000,000.

  2. Elfie says:

    I hate the term ‘white trash’, people are not trash, poverty does not make you less worthy than anyone else.

  3. Abbott says:

    At first I thought that photo was of Chris Pratt.

    So excited for the new season. Taylor was fantastic in The Normal Heart.

    • QQ says:

      Oh That’s the First Time I’ve Loved him! The Normal Heart was Fantastic!!

      I can’t wait either I hope is as good as the first season

    • Happy21 says:

      He blew me away in Sole Survivor too. His acting and Ben Foster’s acting was far more superior than poor ole Mark Wahlberg. He should never have been cast in the lead role on that one.

      Normal Heart though, he got me in that one. I was SUCH a fan after I saw that movie.

  4. Allie says:

    I don’t know, I thought this interview sounded like almost every other boring celebrity piece. It’s very rare when I’m actually I interested and surprised by what a celebrity says.

  5. LB says:

    I love Taylor and all people associated with FNL so I’ll be watching True Detective. I’m just worried because I didn’t see the first season yet but was told that I didn’t need to?

  6. Dhavynia says:

    I’m a fan that thinks he’s hot. He was hot as Gambit and he’s not a bad actor but just been I’m bad films. Personally, I’ve seen worse films than John Carter but I enjoyed watching him and Mark Strong

    • Suzy from Ontario says:

      I loved him as Gambit! I thought he had the look and personality downpat!

      And I liked John Carter! I thought it was just as good as lot of the other comic book movies out there. I think sometimes people don’t give a movie or an actor enough of a chance for whatever reason (and others get too many chances).

    • Nedsdag says:

      He was sexay as Gambit. Channing Tatum was just cast as Gambit in an upcoming film. He’s not nearly as hot as Taylor.

  7. Catelina says:

    I love FNL, but he was generally one of the weaker links, acting wise, though he improved after season 1. I loved True Detective season 1, but I think a lot of it was down to the cast and the director, both of which have been switched out. I’ll try an episode just in case, but my hopes aren’t high. Early reviews have indicated that Vaughn is the standout of the ensemble.

  8. Kiddo says:

    Completely shallow observation, but the mixed denim look is not working. In fact, it’s bringing out my faux outrage normally reserved for hunky-skinny-jeans-guy-with-stripped-shirts-hodor-and-all-that. He’s nice to look at in the second photo, but he resembles Ashton Kutcher too much in the top photo, so my perception is loaded with Ashton’s baggage.

    • Kitten says:

      I don’t know who told him mixed denim was ok.
      Also, is he tucking t-shirt into jeans in second pic?

      I just CANNOT.

      • veronica says:

        He’s just bringing out his Canadianness by rocking the Canadian tuxedo! We do it all the time!

    • Abbott says:

      You just invoked both Kit Harington and Ashton Kutcher to describe your mix match double denim outrage. That’s some serious sh*t.

  9. Catelina says:

    Also, he’s one of the rare guys who I prefer with longer hair

    • Helen says:

      Me, too. He’s got those beady little eyes like a crabs eyes in a mans face, and yet still somehow so cute.

  10. tifzlan says:

    I am an FNL Super Fan to the point where i can pinpoint the exact Explosions in the Sky song used in which scene of a particular episode of what season of the show so i’ll be watching True Detective eventhough i hate Vince Vaughn irrationally. What i got out of this interview was that Taylor is Tim Riggins in real life, which makes me so happy because i’ve always wanted Riggins to be my big brother (i was more of a Saracen Gal).

    EDIT: Not even the white trash thing, just how he responds to the questions and his outlook in life reminds me of Riggins so much ugh time for an FNL rewatch.

  11. stay gold, ponyboy says:

    well, we here are big fans of John Carter and have watched it more than a few times.

    so.

    • Nedsdag says:

      I’m such a fan of his that I watched John Carter AND Battleship. He was the reason I got through Battleship. Personally, I wanted to throw Rihanna in the water.

  12. db says:

    I enjoyed John Carter and kind of feel Taylor was scapegoated a bit for it’s “failure.” Hope True Detective turns out well for him.

  13. coffeeisgood says:

    I just love Taylor. I don’t get why people always bring up the John Carter mess, its not like he was the only person responsible for the bombing of that film. Geez people let it go.

  14. potatopie says:

    Living in a mobile home does not automatically make one “trashy”. Some people actually do maintain their area quite well. Others – not so much. But then, again, drive around neighborhoods of “regular homes” and one can see some pretty trashy places. So – maybe all in the eye of the beholder? Of course, this makes for a more interesting grab on the story-line. I guess.

  15. Skedaddle says:

    Lmao at that article about the TD showrunner. I never watched it because it seemed like it was one of those half good, half pretentious male drivel works, but now I think maybe I was generous with my percentages there. And the author of the piece, yikes!

  16. Nedsdag says:

    He can park his trailer next to my house any time.

  17. Me too says:

    White trash isn’t about being poor. It is about the way you behave yourself. Just spend time in rural America and OMG. I was shocked by what I witnessed. The saddest excuse for human existence I have ever seen. No morals, dirty people, no respect for themselves or others. No goals. High drug use. The list goes on and on.

    • CharliesAngel says:

      IR to Me Too:
      I live in rural America and your assessment of it is akin to me saying that when I visit an urban area, that area has nothing to offer other than homeless people on the corners, drive by shootings,”dirty, no morals, high drug use”. While those things certainly exist in large cities such as NYC, LA, London, Paris, Madrid, to name a few, and I have seen them first hand (just a few of the cities in which I accidentally fell off the turnip truck and learned the language and spent time), those are not the only facet to those cities, all of which have a vibrant culture, if one chooses to explore that side. The same can be said for rural America having a vibrant beauty and culture. I have lived abroad and in large US cities and absolutely appreciate what other countries and cultures have to offer. So this is not a ‘Murica post or city mouse vs. country mouse post. Good and bad things exist in both places. Apparently you sought out or are only focused on the dirty, the immoral, and the drug addicts if that is all you saw or that is what you remember.

  18. Alice says:

    Gal. Please, no.

  19. Lucy2 says:

    Riggins! I loved him on FNL but haven’t seen him in much else. Hope True Detective is a good show for him.

  20. kitty-bye says:

    I enjoyed John Carter, Maybe it should have been named something else?

  21. Stephanie says:

    I’m so late but I can’t get over the train comment. The blue train?! Wtf is that? I seriously think he is lying. It took some context clues to realize he was talking about the A train; which, by the way, doesn’t run through Spanish Harlem. The last stop in Manhattan is 207th St not 181st St. The other “blue” trains are the C and E. It’s seems like I’m nitpicking but I’m not. You absolutely cannot figure out the NYC subway system by just color. There is no way he lived here for more than a week and rode this train everyday and calls it the blue train.
    This came off as a bullshit attention-seeking humble brag. He chose the first historically poor neighborhood that came to mind to act like he was “toughing it out.” I also think it’s no coincedence that the 181st St A stop leaves you in one of the only white middle class neighborhoods in upper Manhattan.

  22. Whatever Gurl says:

    To me, “trash” pertains to behavior. Open to anyone.

    Yet “white trash” reads down-trodden, blue-collar. It pertains to the lowest rung in socio-economic and educational status concerning white individuals, mainly in rural areas. Very offensive because the term screams smug contempt and attaches shame to a group of individuals, who may have been born into poverty. Or not.

    I detest “white trash” because it conveys an air of superiority by the speaker. It says more about the speaker actually who chooses to use such a racist term. Just my 2 cents.

  23. tealily says:

    Finally just read that VF piece on Pizzolatto. Douche seems a bit harsh! I thought he came across fine, like a writer committed to his craft. Did I miss something?