EXCLUDED. Taylor Kitsch (The Terminal List): “With Chris Pratt, it was important that we trust each other”

Télé Star: Introduce us to the series…

David DiGilio : It’s a paranoid thriller centered on James Reece (Chris Pratt), a Navy SEAL who loses his entire platoon during a secret mission. Upon returning home, his memories of the operation are unclear. He begins to wonder if he made a mistake, if he is crazy or if his men were victims of a conspiracy…

The series is taken from the book by Jack Carr, published in 2018. Why did you choose to adapt it to television rather than to the cinema?

David DiGilio : The project started with Chris Pratt and Antoine Fuqua. Both wanted to obtain the rights to the novel by Jack Carr and decided to join forces. They are two big movie stars but when they studied the book, they realized that there was too much to say in two hours of film, that the development of the characters required more than that. So they decided to make it a series and started looking for a showrunner. This is where I arrived. I proposed to them to adapt the book by emphasizing the psychological aspect of the story, and paranoia became the central element of this first season. Then we got to the characters. By welcoming actors like Taylor, Constance Wu and Jeanne Tripplehorn, it really became “cinevision”. It’s a huge movie, but in 8 chapters.

Taylor, you embody Ben Edwards, CIA agent and best friend of Reece (Chris Pratt). HASDid you read the book before you started?

Taylor Kitsch: No, I didn’t have much between casting and the start of filming and personally, I use the script more when I’m working. Besides, Jack was there. He trusted me, gave me the reins of his character.

How was the collaboration with Chris Pratt?

Taylor Kitsch: It was very cool. The story being very heavy, it was very important that we have a relationship based on trust. And it’s very easy to work with Chris. When the camera is not rolling, the atmosphere is very relaxed, we spend all our time making jokes and laughing. It’s also how you get to know people, laughing together, and it allows you to be more comfortable during the shoot.

How did you prepare for the role of Ben?

Taylor Kitsch: I had the good fortune to work with a military adviser. He was great with me. He prepared me both physically and psychologically.

What was your reaction when you saw the series on screen for the first time?

David DiGilio : It was amazing. I realized that we had done something even more original than we expected. In the first scene, the SEALs are moving through tunnels, it’s kind of a brain metaphor. It poses the psychological element of the series and it allows to introduce all the characters. It’s filmed in a very subjective way, we’re directly in the head of Reece (Chris Pratt) and I think that’s what makes the viewer caught up in the series.

How is The Terminal List different from other films and series centered on soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder?

Taylor Kitsch: It’s more of a psychological thriller than a post-traumatic stress story. It’s very easy to write about a soldier suffering from PTSD, but we go much further than that. The main character does not know if he can trust those around him.

Can we expect a sequel?

David DiGilio : We would love to continue this story. Jack Carr’s books are amazing and we could write at least 3 more seasons for now.

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