Taylor Kitsch, Peter Berg's bond is 'Survivor' strong
- The two have been working together since the beginning of TV%27s %27Friday Night Lights%27
- As in any relationship%2C they%27ve been through ups and downs
- %22I can pretty much let %28Kitsch%29 know with a look if something is not working%2C%22 says Berg
NEW YORK — There are expedient, fleeting Hollywood friendships and then there are those real-world bonds that withstand booms and busts.
The one between actor Taylor Kitsch, 32, and director Peter Berg, 49, belongs in the latter category. They've been on a professional streak since tackling the world of small-town high school football on the acclaimed TV series Friday Night Lights, which Berg executive-produced and Kitsch headlined as tortured soul Tim Riggins until it ended in 2011. They've had both touchdowns (the Lights finale, considered one of the most satisfying on the small screen) and fumbles (their bewildering flop Battleship in 2012). The one constant: their relationship.
"We're gypsies. We don't have the benefit of stability. The one constant is the crew and the cast. You get to make these friends along the way. Along the way you find people you connect with. Taylor has something I connect with," says Berg, over early evening drinks with Kitsch in midtown Manhattan.
"We've traveled around the world twice together. In any great relationship, it's forged by good times and bad times. We've had fights. We've had moments of triumph," concludes Berg. "This movie just further solidifies my respect for Taylor."
The film in question is Lone Survivor, which hits theaters nationwide Friday. It's a brutal, bloody rendering of what happens when four elite soldiers are sent into a doomed mission in Afghanistan. It's a passion project for Berg, something that wasn't lost on Kitsch. And Berg, in turn, says Kitsch was the first actor he envisioned in the film after he read the book by former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell.
"I know this was a project that for years and years he was tracking, getting it made, writing. He's calling me a month before, days before, saying that we're doing it. Every day on set, he's there early. That energy he brought to set really did trickle down," says Kitsch. "This is his legacy."
So after being such close collaborators for going on nearly a decade, do they have a shorthand with each other? Berg and Kitsch exchange a knowing glance.
"There it is," says Kitsch. "On- and off-camera, too."
Concurs Berg: "If I say something that (expletive) him off, he's not afraid to let me know. I can pretty much let him know with a look if something is not working."
