Taylor Kitsch has decided to honor his sister Shelby Kitsch-Best’s sobriety by opening a nature retreat.
The Friday Night Lights alum, 43, took two years off work in the mid 2010’s to help his younger sibling beat her addiction to opioids and other drugs.
And now, the actor — who moved to Bozeman, Montana from Austin, Texas, in 2021 — is working to open to nature retreat as a ‘tip of the hat’ to her getting sober, according to People.
His goal is to open the retreat in the next two years on 22 acres of his land in Bozeman, he told the publication.
‘I didn’t even know sober escapes existed until I had the crash course with my sis. I was like, “Man, it sounds incredible to offer people a chance to reconnect in nature and slow things down,”‘ he shared.
The proud brother also gushed about his ‘incredible’ sister: ‘Probably the proudest thing I’ve done in my life is sticking with her and being a part of the way it’s turned out.’
Taylor Kitsch, 43, has decided to honor his sister Shelby Kitsch-Best’s sobriety by opening a nature retreat in Montana; seen January 7 in NYC
The Friday Night Lights alum took two years off work in the mid 2010’s to help his younger sibling beat her addiction to opioids and other drugs; the two seen in 2023
He added that he ‘couldn’t be more proud of’ his sister, who currently works as a traveling nurse in Vancouver.
Aside from the sober community, Kitsch also wants the retreat to serve kids and veterans.
‘You want to go hike, fish, hang out, do nothing, write, read, anything? It’s is all up there for you,’ he says of the activities the retreat will offer.
He also plans to include a sweat lodge on the property, where a local shaman can conduct ceremonies – a practice he found ‘incredibly helpful’ while preparing for his new Netflix Western, American Primeval.
The show follows a mother on the run during the brutal 1857 Utah War, which involved Mormons, the US Army and Native Americans fighting over the American West.
Kitsch’s sister served as his advisor when he played opioid addict Glen Kryger on the 2023 Netflix drama Painkiller.
‘It’s probably the closest job to me that I’ve ever done,’ he shared of the experience.
‘And to have her with me on that journey was kind of crazy and really cathartic. It was just an amazing experience to go through that with her, and she helped me enormously on that show. I have nothing but incredible memories from that job. I’m really proud of that one.’
His goal is to open the retreat in the next two years on 22 acres of his land in Bozeman, he told People in a new interview; pictured in 2024 at the Critics Choice Awards in LA
‘I didn’t even know sober escapes existed until I had the crash course with my sis. I was like, “Man, it sounds incredible to offer people a chance to reconnect in nature and slow things down,”‘ he shared; pictured in 2022
He also plans to include a sweat lodge on the property, where a local shaman can conduct ceremonies – a practice he found ‘incredibly helpful’ while preparing for his new Netflix Western, American Primeval; seen in a still from American Primeval
Kitsch went on to share how touched he was that the role struck a chord with so many viewers.
‘That was really a beautiful part of it that I didn’t really see coming: how many people that are sober now or fighting sobriety that related to his journey. That was incredible. I think I’m always chasing stories worth telling.’
He also hopes to be able to tell his sister’s story via film or TV in the future.
Last week Kitsch confirmed that he has been approached to play a part in the upcoming Friday Night Lights reboot.
The beloved series ran on NBC from 2006 to 2011 and has been long been hailed as one of the best high school sports dramas to hit the small screen.
The show saw Taylor star as Dillon Panthers’ bad boy fullback Tim Riggins and the star has now revealed whether he would be open to the idea of returning as No. 33.
In a new interview on SiriusXM’s The Spotlight with Jessica Shaw, the John Carter star explained: ‘I know I’ve been asked, and we’ll leave it at that.’
When pressed if he was asked to appear as a coach, he continued: ‘No. But to be a part of some kind of reboot. I’m always flattered. Never say never.’
‘But I would come in and do something – maybe for an episode or something. But I don’t want to go and do the whole thing.’
Kitsch’s sister served as his advisor when he played opioid addict Glen Kryger on the 2023 Netflix drama Painkiller; Kitsch seen in a still from the show
‘To have her with me on that journey was kind of crazy and really cathartic… she helped me enormously on that show,’ he shared; (L-R) Kitsch, Olivia Markowski, Carolina Bartczak seen in a still
He added: ‘I’d go and have fun. But I don’t want to lead or anything. I love the continuous, challenging roles and to keep pushing.’
Jessica then pushed: ‘Would you want to go in for, like, an episode as Riggins or a totally different character?’
To which the Battleship actor responded: ‘Yeah, I would do both. That’s a good point. I could create something that could be, hopefully, pretty fun.
‘But I think if you saw me as someone else, you’d be like, “That’s Riggins,” especially in that element, if you’re in Texas or doing it the way they’re going to do it.’
He concluded: ‘I’d maybe play an opposing team’s coach or something, and be on screen for like, eight seconds. I would do that, sure.’
Back in November it was revealed that a reboot of the beloved high school series Friday Night Lights was in development with new characters.
The franchise started life as a 1990 nonfiction book called Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team And A Dream by H. G. Bissinger about high school football in Texas.
In 2004, a movie adaptation was released starring Billy Bob Thornton as the coach amid a cast including Garrett Hedlund, Connie Britton and Tim McGraw.
But the most famous version of the property was the acclaimed show starring Connie and Kyle Chandler.
The show also featured such names as Michael B. Jordan, Jurnee Smollett, Minka Kelly, Jesse Plemons, Scott Porter, Aimee Teegarden, Zach Gilford and Adrianna Palicki.
He rose to fame starring on Friday Night Lights alongside Minka Kelly. The beloved series ran on NBC from 2006 to 2011; the duo seen in a still
It comes after Taylor’s former co-star Minka recently opened up about her ‘toxic’ relationship with the actor in her memoir titled, Tell Me Everything.
The Euphoria actress, 44, admitted that her on and off again relationship with Taylor not only affected her, but also her interactions with other cast members.
‘All the effort I might have invested in connecting consistently with the girls on the show went to Taylor,’ she expressed in her book. ‘So when my relationship with Taylor became toxic, I had no one to turn to.’
Minka notably portrayed the role of a cheerleader named Lyla, while Taylor also played her love interest on the show.
The star, who is currently dating Imagine Dragons singer Dan Reynolds, admitted that she had ‘shacked up’ with her co-star, although a producer on the show, Peter Berg, had warned her to do otherwise.
