Taylor Kitsch's life off-screen from homelessness to American Primeval fame

Taylor Kitsch was homeless when he first moved to New York City (Image: GETTY)

Netflix's American Primeval, premiering on January 9, delves into the struggle for control of the American West and the brutal collision of faith and culture, starring 43 year old Canadian actor and model Taylor Kitsch. Taylor, also known for his portrayal of Tim Riggins in the NBC series Friday Night Lights, shared the screen with Minka Kelly.

In her memoir Tell Me Everything, Minka Kelly described her relationship with Taylor Kitsch as "toxic" during her time playing cheerleader Lyla Garrity on the show. She penned: "All the effort I might have invested in connecting consistently with the girls on the show went to Taylor. So when my relationship with Taylor became toxic, I had no one to turn to."

The on-again, off-again nature of their romance left both parties ill-equipped to navigate the on-set tension. Minka Kelly elaborated: "We were young and had very few tools to handle our emotions and personal grievances."

After labeling the relationship as "toxic" in her memoir, she appeared on SiriusXM's Andy Cohen Live to provide further context.

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"I don't know if I describe it as a toxic relationship," Minka clarified. "I say it became toxic as a result of.. being under the pressure cooker of a new show. You're 26 years old and in your twenties, I think there's a chance that might happen if you come from where I come from and you have the tools that I have or don't have, and what was important to me and what I really tried to do, especially in that chapter, was keep the focus on my s***."

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Taylor Kitsch with Minka Kelly on Friday Night Lights (Image: NBC)

Taylor's parents separated when he was just a year old, and he and his two older brothers were brought up by their mother in a caravan park.

From a young age, he took to the ice, playing junior hockey for the Langley Hornets in the British Columbia Hockey League. However, a devastating knee injury in 2002 abruptly ended his sporting career.

That same year, he relocated to New York City after being offered a chance to break into modelling, which also marked the beginning of his acting studies.

To make ends meet, he worked as a nutritionist and personal trainer. However, there was a period when he was homeless and had to sleep on subway trains.

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Taylor Kitsch as Isaac in American Primeval (Image: NETFLIX) window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20250107.min.js"

Speaking to Us Weekly, the star recalled his early days in New York and where he found shelter.

"It was a blue train from downtown all the way up to 182nd and at night they'd change, they'd take longer, A, C, or E," he remembered.

After a few weeks, he managed to find an apartment, but it lacked electricity or hot water for several months.

Despite the harsh living conditions, he never allowed it to deter him from his dreams. Speaking to The Daily Beast, he said: "I had beats like that, but when you don't have a contingency, it's funny what you'll put up with."

"At the time you're not thinking that, you're just doing it and you're young."

He now resides in Bozeman, Montana.