The first photos of Taylor Kitsch, star of Friday Night Lights, playing infamous Texan cult leader David Koresh have been unveiled.
Kitsch is playing Koresh in a six-part limited series called Waco which will follow the 51-day standoff between the fanatical leader, his followers the Branch Davidians, and the FBI and ATF. The stand-off ended in tragedy with the death of 75 Davidians, including Koresh and 25 children in 1993.
The actor told People.com that for the role, he lost around 30 pounds and listened to hundreds of hours of phone calls of the tapes with FBI negotiator Gary Noesner and the FBI and the ATF to Child Protective Services. He also read David Thibodeau’s book ‘A Place Called Waco’ a number of times to get into character.
Waco also stars Michael Shannon as lead FBI negotiator Gary Noesner, John Leguizamo, Paul Sparks, Rory Culkin, Melissa Benoist, Andrea Riseborough and Julia Garner. The event series will premiere on the Paramount Network in January.