Taylor Kitch to open own sober retreat
Taylor Kitsch is opening a nature retreat in the grounds of his home in honour of his sister getting sober.
Taylor Kitsch is opening a nature retreat in honour of his sister getting sober.
The 'Friday Night Lights' star took two years off work in the mid-2010s to help Shelby Kitsch-Best battle her addition to opioids and other drugs and now, as a "tip of the hat" to her recovery, he is planning to use part of the 22 acres of land he owns in Bozeman, Montana, to establish a retreat for other members of the sober community to help them with their own struggles.
He told People magazine: "I didn’t even know sober escapes existed until I had the crash course with my sis.
"I was like, ‘Man, it sounds incredible to offer people a chance to reconnect in nature and slow things down.'...
"You want to go hike, fish, hang out, do nothing, write, read, anything? It's is all up there for you."
Taylor - who hopes the retreat can also benefit children and veterans - also plans to have a sweat lodge on the property, where a local shaman can perform ceremonies after finding the practice helpful while preparing for his latest project, 'American Primeval'.
He said:"People will have the opportunity to sweat with him and work on whatever they need to work on. It's been incredibly helpful for me."
The 43-year-old star "couldn't be more proud" of his sister, who now works as a nurse in Vancouver.
He said: "She's incredible. Probably the proudest thing I've done in my life is sticking with her and being a part of the way it's turned out."
And Taylor - who moved from Austin, Texas, to Bozeman in 2021 after "simplifying everything" in his life - even got Shelby to be his advisor when he filmed 2023 drama 'Painkiller', in which he played the role of opioid addict Glen Kryger.
He reflected: "It's probably the closest job to me that I've ever done.
"And to have her with me on that journey was kind of crazy and really cathartic.
"It was just an amazing experience to go through that with her, and she helped me enormously on that show. I have nothing but incredible memories from that job. I'm really proud of that one."
In the future, the 'Battleship' star is keen to tell Shleby's story via a movie or TV show.
He said: "I'd like to write and direct that. That's been on my brain a lot lately."
