Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Outpost’s Taylor John Smith

With roles in the Emmy-nominated series Sharp Objects as well as the Tribeca Film Festival standout Wolves, Taylor John Smith has firmly staked his position as one of Hollywood’s most versatile leading men. As he’s traversed this industry with grace and integrity, he’s carefully selected roles that have resonated with him.

This summer, he stars as real-life hero Lieutenant Andrew Bundermann, who bravely served his country in Afghanistan, in the must-see war drama The Outpost. The film—out now in select theaters and on VOD—tells the untold story of a small group of courageous US soldiers who battled against hundreds of Taliban fighters at Combat Outpost Keating.

Pop Culturalist caught up with Taylor for a candid conversation about his personal journey, embracing flaws and struggles, and how he prepared to embody Lieutenant Andrew Bundermann.

Career

PC: It’s been a couple of years since we last chatted, and you’ve gone on to star in projects like You Get Me and Sharp Objects. When you look back at the past three years, how have you grown as a man and as an artist?
Taylor: I feel like it’s easier for me now to forgive myself for things I didn’t know in the past. I definitely ask more questions than I ever had, as opposed to thinking that I know the answers about me and my work. I’ve definitely become more of a sponge. When you start out in anything, you almost fake it till you make it. That can only get you so far until you start genuinely learning. I’m not afraid to ask questions like I used to be. I’m not afraid to be wrong, which is nice, as opposed to needing to be right all the time. It’s easy to fall in that trap.

But I’ve definitely grown as a man. I’m not where I want to be yet, and I don’t think I’ll ever be. It’s always going to be a growing process. I’m grateful and hopeful in that. But yeah, I’ve chosen better projects as I’ve gotten older—things that I connect with more—as opposed to taking what’s given. I’m making smart choices in my career and looking five to ten years ahead, as opposed to what looks like a nice paycheck in the moment.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Taylor: Personally, my mom. She’s such a badass. She’s been through so much. Resiliency is something I’ve taken from her. There have been so many times she should have thrown in the towel because of circumstances in her personal life and whatnot, but she didn’t. She handed that to me in a gift that I could never repay her for. I’m so grateful for that. She’s never given up, so she’s never allowed us to give up. I didn’t plan on being an actor. I wanted to be a Marine ever since I was a little kid. When I try new things, my mom has told us, “If you’re going to do it, do it with all you got. Don’t half-ass it.” There’s been tough times where I’ve thought, “Is this something that I want to do for the rest of my life?” When you don’t see success early on, it hurts your spirit a bit. She never let me give up on myself and what I love to do. I’m forever grateful for that. So definitely her.

Then my agent Joey [Stanton] in my professional and personal life. He’s amazing. He’s my best friend. He guides me in my career and in my life. He’s the sidekick, wingman extraordinaire, like the full package of “This is what you want to do? I’m right there by your side. We’re going to make this happen together.” It’s nice to have.

PC: You’re an artist who is constantly sharing words of wisdom on your platform. How did you discover your own voice? When did you realize you wanted to use your platform to spread awareness and for positivity?
Taylor: I’m not sure. I feel like we’re all broken. I think everybody needs more insight into themselves and to know that it’s okay to be broken, but it’s not okay to stay there.

I definitely have gone through my fair share of ups and down, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Some people need a note to start their day that says you matter or make today count. If you’re going through something tough, here’s what’s helped me get through it. To be able to share that with somebody is great. Even if it hits one or two people, that’s good enough for me.

We’re so focused on giving the best version of ourselves—the final cut—as opposed to showing people the behind the scenes, the failures, the mishaps. Being more honest and real with your failures and what you’re going through helps other people accept what they’re going through and know they can change or get better or feel comfortable enough to go through it.

The Outpost

PC: The Outpost is out now. Tell us about the incredible soldier that you play.
Taylor: Lieutenant Andrew Bundermann. He is a total badass—the nicest guy that you’ll ever meet. Funny story: when I talked to him on the phone for the first time, he gave me a rundown on what went down that day and his life leading up to that moment. I asked him, “What’s the one thing that I absolutely have to get right that no matter what needs to be done?”

He didn’t know what I looked like at the time because he doesn’t watch many movies and whatnot. He’s got a couple of kids. He’s a busy guy working in the business world. But I was like, “What’s the one thing I need to get right?” He was like, “Well, you just need to show the world how incredibly attractive I am. I don’t know what you look like, but I’m sure you’re going to let me down.” [laughs]

It was really funny. He’s an easy-peasy guy but a total badass. When he was put under pressure—being in charge of all these soldiers at twenty-three years old—he didn’t falter. He didn’t back down. He took charge. He was basically a kid and he was in charge of all these people’s lives and making the big decisions when the outpost was attacked. A couple of days prior he was put in charge when the last guy that was in charge of the base basically relieves himself of his duties because it was too much to handle. Lieutenant Bundermann stepped up. He’s a leader.

PC: Does your approach to a character/project change when it’s based on real-life events and people?
Taylor: It matters so much more—I mean a thousand percent. People lost their lives. His friends lost their lives. There’s gold-star families that are going to see this movie, and I only care what they think. Fortunately, Andrew made it out alive, but there’s a lot of people that didn’t. What matters to me more than anything is knowing that I told these people’s stories the best way that I could and gave them my all.

Because when you’re doing a fictional movie, you have a bit more leeway. But when it’s someone’s life or their legacy, you can’t mess that up. Especially when this might be the only way people hear about this story through this movie. It’s a shame that more people don’t know about all the heroism and courage that happened that day. But if this is the only way they hear about this story, I want it to be done right. I definitely think we did that. All the gold-star families that saw it, they were proud and happy. That’s all I can ask. Everything else is the icing on the top.

PC: There’s so much information about Andrew and his accomplishments. Those have to be heavy shoes to fill. Did you feel that pressure heading into the project?
Taylor: I did until I talked to him. He was like, “I like drinking beer. I like football.” He made me feel more comfortable about it and how laid back he was. As an officer, you’re not supposed to mingle with the boots, your soldiers, because they’re supposed to be that leadership. There has to be a disconnect in order to tell people what to do and in order to save lives or take out the enemy. He definitely didn’t have that separation. That’s why he was so well liked. Most officers don’t interact with soldiers on a daily basis, but he was in there in the trenches with them. He was one of them. Even though he was an officer, he was one of the guys. Him being so laid back and easygoing took that stress and pressure off me a bit. I just wanted to make him proud. I hope I did.

PC: How did you and the cast build the brotherhood necessary for this film?
Taylor: Two weeks prior to rehearsal, when we were in Bulgaria filming, we did a boot camp. A couple of Rangers and a Navy Seal basically talked us through this boot camp for two weeks. It was so much fun, but it sucked. [laughs] I feel like we all bonded through how tough it was. It’s nice to know that we got a little taste of camaraderie and team building before we went into it. We got to know each other. We went out and had drinks. We went and got dinner. We worked out together. It’s basically living together for two weeks before any of the filming or rehearsal started happening.

Jericho Denman, one of the military advisers, who’s an awesome guy, encouraged that team building and getting to know each other. That’s great with any movie, but especially with this one. These guys lived together for years overseas. You can’t fake a bond like that; you got to try and build it.

PC: You shared your experience as you were filming The Outpost. What was the biggest takeaway being a part of this cast and project?
Taylor: I’ve always been a big supporter of the military, but when you have guys that were actually there on set, they’re no longer names on a page. You get to see the type of person they are. It just made me so much more grateful for men and women that sacrifice sometimes everything—sometimes their lives—for people like me and you to do interviews and watch movies. I was very, very grateful. I left that film feeling even more grateful than I did before.

Right now, I’m in Nashville. I’m with Daniel Rodriguez, hanging out with him. He played himself in the film. He was actually a soldier at the outpost. I have a newfound appreciation for what real sacrifice means. They’re solid standup guys. If I can be a little bit more like them—work towards being a little bit more like them—I think I’m in good shape.

PC: With the film coming out now, what do you hope audiences take away?
Taylor: The country’s very divided right now. With coronavirus and all the protests going on, I feel like a lot of people feel alone, a lot of people feel divided, torn even between families, views, and whatnot. I feel like America needs something to unify them and something they can get behind.

This is a story of true American patriots that sacrificed their lives for this country and our freedom. I hope people see it and appreciate that and maybe feel a bit more proud of the country, even though we’re in some dire times right now. I hope it makes people look at each other with a bit more love and appreciation, as opposed to hostility. After 9/11, people said hi. People asked others how they were doing. There was a strong unity behind that that brought everybody together. I hope this film connects people more and reminds them—black, white, brown, whatever—we’re all American. It’s something that can make us proud of that.

PC: In addition to The Outpost, you have another project coming out. Is there anything you can tell us about Shadow in the Cloud?
Taylor: I love Chloë Grace Moretz and Nick Robinson. They’re the best people to work with. Roseanne [Liang], the director, was phenomenal. I definitely want to go back to New Zealand. Maybe I can do another film up there. It seems like everything’s filming out there. It’s the only country that’s open right now. It was super, super fun getting to work on that film. The cast and Roseanne made it better. I’d go film a commercial about dirt out there If I got to work with them again.

To keep up with Taylor, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch The Outpost in select theaters and on VOD today.