Taylor-made for Kitsch

TOKYO — The first thing I ask Taylor Kitsch as soon as he sits down for this exclusive one-on-one at a function room of the Ritz Carlton in Roponggi Hills is if he wants to visit the Philippines.

“I would love to,” Taylor breaks into a smile.

No need to elaborate or to dwell on the recent past when the poor Canadian actor got involved in a minor issue after having been, well, unpleasantly treated by an immigration officer at the airport not in the Philippines as wrongly mentioned by host David Letterman when Taylor guested on his show but in Indonesia where Taylor was to shoot some scenes for Oliver Stone’s Savages which stars John Travolta. Perhaps Taylor’s only fault, if you can call it “fault,” is that in the frenzy of the live show he failed to correct Letterman. Anyway, that’s water under the bridge.

Described by People magazine as “The Next Brad Pitt?” (yes, with a question mark), Taylor is starring in Battleship as Lieutenant Alex Hopper, a naval weapons officer assigned to USS John Paul Jones who leads the US Navy in a fierce sea battle against aliens. The movie, directed by Peter Berg and also starring Rihanna (in her movie debut) and Liam Neeson (as Admiral Shane, Commander of the Pacific Fleet), is an updated version of the popular decades-old videogame. It’s a role tailor-made for Kitsch who was last seen as the title role in John Carter in which he plays a Civil War soldier transported to Mars where he battles, don’t look now, also aliens for the red planet’s survival).

Filmed mostly in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Battleship reunites Taylor with Gard who created the hit US TV series Friday Night Lights which launched Taylor to stardom playing bad-boy running back Tim Riggins. You must also remember Taylor from such movies as Snakes on a Plane, The Covenant John Tucker Must Die and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).

According to the People mag story, Taylor as a kid grew up in a trailer park outside of Vancouver, raised by a single mom. He moved to New York to work as a model, “sleeping on friends’ couches and, at times, on the floor of the 8th Avenue subway train.” And then in 2006 he got a big break as star of Friday Night Lights. Hello, Big Time!

No wonder Taylor, who turned 31 on April 8 (Aries), is as macho as they come, being a School of Hard Knocks graduate.

It’s said that for 12 years, Taylor didn’t cut his hair but he did it for Berg because, Taylor says, “I love the way that Pete shoots with regard to freedom…no marks or anything like that. Of course, I was used to his style from FNL and will always be grateful that Pete gave me that huge opportunity to play Riggins. And now, here I am playing another big role as Hopper.”

Asked why he handpicked Taylor for the role, Berg said, “He’s the real deal. I flew to London, where Taylor was shooting John Carter, to offer him the role. I wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

In Battleship, based upon the popular videogame, Taylor plays the head of the US Navy group that battles aliens, with Rihanna (right) in her movie debut playing an elite member of the US Navy.

Says Taylor, “The way Pete did it, it wasn’t your average meeting. It went this way…He asked me pointblank, ‘You want to do this movie with me or not? Let’s do it; let’s kill it; let’s make a bad-ass, fun movie with a heartbeat in it!’ I couldn’t say no. To have that responsibility and challenge is everything. There was already a trust there, which is everything on set. You’ve got to know that your director has you, your character and, of course, the film’s best interest at heart.”

In the movie, Alexander Skarsgard (of the award-winning HBO series True Blood) plays Commander Stone, the disciplined older brother who convinced younger brother Hopper to get his act together and join the US Navy.

In the production notes distributed among the journalists invited to the junket (with a visit to the USS George Washington at the US Naval Base in Yokosuka where the press conference was held on the flight deck), Taylor is quoted as saying that he was intrigued in exploring the dynamic between the two brothers.

“That’s what put me overboard…no pun intended…the arc whereof Hopper starts in the story, from stealing and being arrested, to the head-shaving when he enlists in the US Navy and to becoming a leader,” explains Taylor who, at the start of the movie, steals chicken burritos from a closed nearby store and rushes back to the bar to offer it to Samantha, the physical-therapist (daughter of Neeson’s Commander Shane) played by Sports Illustrated model Brooklyn Decker, to impress her on their first chance encounter.

“As an actor, that’s everything. You see his emotion through the loss he suffers, then watch as he becomes the ship’s captain. Hopper never wanted to be this guy, but he’s thrown into it unexpectedly and is forced to reach his own potential in the most extreme circumstance. Even though he’s in the Navy, his core hasn’t changed. This guy who’s saving the world is the same guy who you met in the beginning.

“In comparison, Stone gives him a purpose, and Hopper owes everything to his brother. Initially, he didn’t want to reach his potential because of that risk of failure. He’d rather just sit and go with the flow because he can get by with no problem. But taking this risk is also risking failure, and that’s something Hopper, in the beginning, just won’t do.”

The role is calculated to cement Taylor’s passionate-macho image.

Asked how he’s similar to Hopper, Taylor says, “Well, apparently I’m passionate, aggressive and wild in real life. How am I like Hopper? See the movie and find out for yourself. Anyway, I think everyone has a piece of Hopper in himself. It’s about a guy who has lost his purpose or doesn’t have a purpose yet. He’s very flawed on the surface and is afraid of failure, so he’s hesitant to take risks. That’s the aspect of Hopper’s personality that I identify with.”

And how does he feel being considered one of the sexiest men alive?

Looking at Alexander beside him, Taylor says in jest, “As long as I’m considered sexier than Alexander, I’m okay,” adding, “it validates me personally so that’s what counts.”

Your Funfarer with Taylor during the interview at a function room of Ritz Carlton in Tokyo.

How is he away from the camera?

“I’m quite different from Hopper. I have six younger siblings and I try to give them a purpose. But unlike Alexander’s character, I won’t drive my siblings to do whatever. I let them make their own decisions.”

My favorite question: How does Taylor describe himself in three words.

Taylor: “Incredible. Undeniable. Aggressive.”

With the “immigration issue” sufficiently explained and considered closed, how does Taylor like the idea of visiting the Philippines so that he can see for himself that it’s really more fun there than anywhere else?

“I would love to,” he smiles, facing the camera to address his Filipino fans, “Hello, everyone in the Philippines, I’m Taylor Kitsch. I’m in Battleship and I can tell you and guarantee you that you will enjoy the film. You have my word.”

(Produced by Universal Pictures and released by United International Pictures, locally by Solar Entertainment, Battleship is opening nationwide today. Although the film was shot a year ago, its plot is relevant because of North Korea’s plan to test-launch a rocket between today and April 16.)

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit http://www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)