Friday Night Lights Cast: Where Are They Now?
7. Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins)
With his Tim Riggins being one of the only characters fully present for FNL’s entire run, Taylor Kitsch seemed the most obvious candidate for a breakout role. He’s got the look, he does a good turn as a moody, troubled young man, he had ample opportunities to show every side of his character - the sky was the limit.
It’s fair to say it has been a mixed bag for Kitsch post-FNL. Starring roles in major movies followed, but many of these films will be remembered for the wrong reasons - namely John Carter and Battleship, two high end blockbusters that either flopped, or were just achingly bad pictures.
His role in The Normal Heart, about the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, is one of his more interesting efforts, and he gave it his all in season two of True Detective, though the material was so disappointing and limp that there wasn’t an awful lot he could do with the role.
Things have looked brighter more recently, though, with Kitsch taking the bold role of cult leader David Koresh in 2018’s Waco. The miniseries didn’t break through in a big way, but this was Kitsch playing completely against type, and doing a great job with it.