Disney’s John Carter takes us to Mars this week. Fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs sci-fi pulp adventures get to geek out but star Taylor Kitsch geeked out for a different reason – the chance to audition for director Andrew Stanton.
“I got a call that said, ‘Hey, would you go down to Disney to meet with Andrew Stanton?’” Kitsch tells Spinoff Online. “I was like, ‘Oh, God, yeah! I loved Wall-E and I’m a huge fan of his!’”
“You know when those opportunities come around they’re rare and you have to fight for them,” Kitsch continued. “Well, I threw my hat in the ring as soon as I could!”
Kitsch says he created his portrayal based on John Carter’s past as a Civil War officer and his research of that time period.
“[John Carter] fought more for the protection of his family and lost that fight,” Kitsch added. “That’s what I stick to, that guilt that he left ironically to fight and protect his family but leaving them vulnerable to be attacked. […] I certainly didn’t play him as a hero. He’s just this everyday guy who is in this extraordinary circumstance.”
Friday Night Lights fans will be interested to hear Kitsch talk about his role as Tim Riggins and his choice of film roles..
“I had the best of both worlds, garnering that critical acclaim as a show and as Riggs, and we’re not so overexposed that I have more of an uphill battle to prove that I’m this guy,” he said. “I pick the roles that are going to make me better … It really boils down to character.”
For more of Kitsch interview here’s the Spinoff Online link. Disney’s John Carter opens this Friday. From what I’ve seen so far, I think Edgar Rice Burroughs will be smiling or cheering from up above!
The more I think about ‘John Carter’, and other JC/Jesus Christ figures in comic books/literature…(Jesse Custer, John Constantine)…I wonder about the messianic themes from this Edgar Rice Burroughs character. I wonder about his origin(s). Similar to the classic short story by Ambrose Bierce: ‘An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge’ perhaps? Where in the space of seconds, before his death, a man catches a glimpse of what his life could or would have been like.
Thanks for the comment. That’s an interesting thought. All those JC characters. Burroughs may have been telling more than just an adventure story.