Exclusive Interview: Taylor John Smith Talks Where the Crawdads Sing, Bringing Tate to Life on Screen, and More

Taylor John Smith is the definition of a leading man: charismatic, captivating, and versatile. He commands the screen with each performance, disappearing into his characters, and bringing vulnerability when called for.

In his young career, he’s worked with the who’s who of Hollywood including Michael Shannon in Wolves, Amy Adams in Sharp Objects, and Felicity Huffman in American Crime.

This summer, he stars opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones in the most highly-anticipated film of the year, Where the Crawdads Sing. Adapted from the bestselling novel, Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh. Taylor shines as Tate, a young man from town who befriends Kya and teaches her how to read.

Their friendship blossoms into an epic love story for the ages. Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to catch up with Taylor to talk about Where the Crawdads Sing, how he brought Tate’s gentleness and flaws to life, and more.

PC: This is a story that’s beloved by so many. As you were bringing your version of Tate to the screen, what’s one thing that you wanted to make sure translated from the page to the screen? What’s one new thing that you brought to him?
Taylor: Definitely Tate’s kindness for sure. There’s a gentleness to him that is innate when you read about him in the book. I wanted to bring that sense of kindness and gentleness. Then, I also wanted to make sure he was not cookie-cutter. He’s not perfect. He does make mistakes. I wanted there to be an aspect of that, especially when he leaves Kya and doesn’t come back on the 4th of July. I wanted him to not be just the good guy. He needed to have these edges to him that make him human. I’m grateful that Delia [Owens] wrote that into the book as well.

PC: This film is so special. Was there a moment while you were filming when you realized you were all creating magic?
Taylor: Even before we started filming, we got to see Kya’s shack. It was ripped right out of the pages. They did such a beautiful job recreating that. Then, the very first day of filming for Daisy and me was the scene when they meet as adults at the tree stump when they’re handing feathers back and forth and communicating through the tree stump by leaving each other gifts. That was a really, really special day. It was serendipitous that that was our first day of filming.

PC: As you’ve grown in your career, you’ve been more selective about the projects and characters that you go out for. What was it about Tate that you connected with?
Taylor: I think there’s an underlying sadness, even though he’s a joyful character. He has gone through a lot in his life to get him to that point; he loses his mom and his little sister in a car crash. He’s raised by his dad growing up. There’s a line when Scupper (his father) is talking to him about what it means to be a man. He says, “A real man cries without shame, reads poetry with his heart, feels opera in his soul, and does what’s necessary to protect a woman.” I really connected with that little chunk of dialogue. It said so much about who Tate was as a character. I wanted to make sure that was sprinkled all throughout whenever you saw him on screen.

PC: It was actually your sisters who told you how popular this novel is. Did that bring any pressure as you headed into this project?
Taylor: It’s funny: I’ve never gotten any sort of interest from them on anything else I’ve ever done. They were like, “Who are you playing? Chase or Tate?” They were very adamant that I answered them right at that moment. I told them Tate, and they were so relieved. I was like if my sisters care this much about a book that I didn’t even know they had read yet, I can’t imagine how the rest of the world feels. Millions and millions of people have gotten to read this book and have fallen in love with it. There was a little pressure there, but it’s also wonderful to be a part of a project that so many people love. It was cool. But where was that support earlier, Lexi and Chelsea?!

PC: This film is set in a particular time period and location. Did that affect your character development process? What was that preparation like?
Taylor: The jobs were definitely a bit simpler. Tate worked on his dad’s shrimping boat with him; it was manual labor. As much as he loved that job and being out in nature, he wanted something more for himself and he dreamed of being a biologist. When it came time for him to decide what he wanted to do with his life, that’s where he and Kya came to a head. He had to decide: Do I want to stay out here in the marsh with Kya forever? Or do I want to go follow my dreams of being a biologist and move to the city?

When he leaves and doesn’t come back for a while, that’s when it hits him that no matter what job he has, it’s never going to impact him the way Kya has. He comes to his senses finally and comes back, albeit too late in a way. He spends the rest of his life trying to make it up, whether he says it out loud or not.

PC: Speaking of Kya, there’s such great chemistry that comes off the screen between you and Daisy. How were the two of you able to build that bond? What was that collaboration like as you brought this love story to life?
Taylor: She makes it so easy. First of all, she’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. When we first did our chemistry read, normally it’s pretty hard to figure out if you connect with someone through a screen, but it was almost immediate. Then, getting to see her on set for the first time in person, was one of those beautiful moments where we ran at each other from across the room. She jumped on me and gave me a big hug. I knew we’d connect instantly.

We had a month of pre-production, so we got to spend time together before filming. We did movement classes with this movement coach, Reigh. We’d go on nature walks together. We’d go kayaking in the bayou. We’d have movie nights at our house almost every night and sip tea and talk into the late hours. It was like having a best friend on set that I got to work with, which was super cool. We definitely gave Olivia [Newman] a headache at certain points because we were giggling so much in between takes. We had to be separated and reminded that we were here to make a movie. It was great. I adore her.

PC: The marsh played such an integral role in this story, and it’s almost like a character itself. Do you remember the first time you stepped onto set? What were you feeling as you took that all in? How helpful was that as you prepared to step into Tate’s shoes?
Taylor: We filmed on location, which I think played such an important role in our performances as well. We didn’t have to imagine what it must have felt like to be there; we were actually in these places that I had dreamed up when I read the book. It was so important because the marsh is a character in itself—to be out there in nature with the cicadas, the toads, and the frogs croaking and the rolling thunder. The air’s thick with the humidity, the gorgeous sunsets, and all this wildlife is crawling all around you. The movie would not have been the same if we were on a sound stage. I’m grateful that we were able to be out in these beautiful locations in Louisiana.

PC: You’re an actor who uplifts other actors. This is a unique project in that it highlights two different timelines where we get to see younger versions of Kya and Tate. Did you have the opportunity to share any words of wisdom with Luke [David Blumm], who plays the younger version of your character?
Taylor: I love that kid. He’s worked more since this project than I think anybody has. He and his dad are so great. It’s amazing to see their travels all around the world. I just told Luke to enjoy it. There are going to be moments where you’re on the highest highs and there are going to be moments where you’re on the lowest lows, but fall in love with the process. That’s what I told him, because there are going to be roadblocks and static moments, but fall in love with the process and you’ll go very, very far. He’s very talented.

PC: You’ve also said in previous interviews that you’re your own worst critic, and this is the first time that you’ve watched one of your projects where you weren’t nitpicking your choices. What was it about this cast, crew, story, and filming experience that brought out this performance from you?
Taylor: The whole process was magical. Lightning really doesn’t strike twice. I’ve never, like you said, watched one of my projects and not focused on the choices that I’ve made and beaten myself up about it. I read the book and I acted in the movie, but when I sat down to watch the film, I was engrossed in it. I felt like I was along for the ride. There’s something special about this book—that’s why millions of people have read it and love it. I can’t put a finger on it. It has all these wonderful elements: it’s a sweeping romance story, it’s a coming-of-age story, there’s also a murder mystery. It has something for everybody. That’s why I really connected with it and got lost in the story when I saw a screening of it for the first time.

PC: You’re also somebody that takes something with them after each project. What would you say is the biggest lesson that you’ve learned working on this project that you’ll bring to future ones?
Taylor: There are a couple. Each project is a collaboration, but this one was special because all the department heads were women. This is a story about female empowerment, and it was really cool to show up every day and see these experts and masters in their craft go ahead and come with different versions of the story that they read and bring them together in this beautiful, soup of artistry. I took away the importance of picking the best people for the job to tell the story that creates the best version of collaboration.

PC: There are so many moments that readers are so excited to see brought to life on screen for the first time. Which was your favorite and why?
Taylor: One of the most impactful moments for me was the first day of filming when Kya and Tate got to meet, but there’s a scene towards the middle of the movie where Tate finally comes back. He rides up on his boat and he’s there to say I’m sorry to Kya and rolls up to her shack. Kya’s expecting somebody else to come. They have this really heated exchange where he’s trying to apologize for everything that he’s done but realizes that he’s just like everybody else. He abandoned her, just like her family. It’s heartbreaking for him knowing that if she decides to never take him back that he has to be okay with that, and he has to understand why she wouldn’t. There’s something special about that scene. It’s really emotional and heartbreaking for both characters. It’s a beautiful scene.

PC: Taylor Swift wrote an original song for this film. Where were you when you first heard it?
Taylor: It’s so funny: I don’t know how they kept it a secret, but I didn’t know until right before the trailer came out—the same for Daisy. Then, I got to see a screening of the movie at Sony, and it’s at the end of the moment—it’s after the final moment when you find out what happened and the big twist. It fades to black. There’s this haunting melody that starts playing. You’re melting in your seat. Taylor’s voice is perfect.

The instruments that she chose and this soothing, haunting melody encapsulates the feeling that you get once everything is settled in your heart from finishing the movie. She chose instruments from the 1950s and 1960s and also did it in one take like how they would record music back then. It was so cool to hear her process in that.

She’s also a huge fan of the book and wrote this sweet letter to Livy and Reese saying, “Hey, it made such an impact on me. I wrote this song. I hope you guys like it.” Then, it ended up in the movie, which is still bonkers to me that she was so kind enough to do that.

PC: This isn’t the first time that you’ve worked on a film that’s being adapted from a popular book series. Did you take anything from working on Sharp Objects over to Where the Crawdads Sing?
Taylor: Yes! Having the book as the bible that you went back to every single day was incredible. Delia is a brilliant writer and there’s such description, especially for each character. She fleshed them out so wonderfully that you didn’t really have to ask too many questions to anybody else; you could go back to the book and see what she wrote and what came to light from that. Daisy and I both had our books with us on set every day and we would go back to them when we needed them. It’s really, really nice having a piece of source material that you can dive back to anytime you hit a wall, or you have a question, or you want to discover something new.

PC: This film touches on so many timely themes, like perseverance, discovering one’s worth, and being the hero in your own story. Was there one in particular that hit home for you?
Taylor: The resiliency of Kya’s character is incredible. Right now, there are a lot of incredibly vast MCU universes, and Marvel does it so well, but most of the heroes that I look up to and the stories that I love are regular people doing extraordinary things. Kya is a perfect example of that. She really is pushed down, ostracized by society, and left by her family. She continues to get back up and not only survive in this austere environment and have Barkley Cove pressing down on her and trying to put her away for life, if not take her life from her. She continues to thrive, and it’s really beautiful to see.

PC: There are so many strange coincidences with this project, from your connection to Reese Witherspoon, who produced this film, and the Cruel Intentions pilot to Taylor Swift and her being your first concert. It feels like everything had led to this moment. When the film drops on July 15th, how are you planning on celebrating?
Taylor: I’m going to go get some dinner with my good friends and just enjoy it. And then obviously I’m going to take them out after to go see the movie. I hope they love it as much as I did.

PC: When the film drops, what do you hope audiences take away after they see it? Has that changed as a result of everything that we’ve gone through as a society?
Taylor: Reese championed this book. She was in it from the beginning. She had a manuscript before the book was even published. She was at the helm and picked all these wonderful people and pieces to push this story together. It’s such a loyal adaptation to the book. People that really, really love the book are going to be very happy about the movie. Then, for the people that haven’t read the book, I’m excited for them to experience the romance, the murder mystery, and this tale of survival. It’s got something for everybody. I’m really excited for it to finally be out there. We worked really hard on it, and I’m really proud of this film.

To keep up with Taylor, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Where the Crawdads Sing in theaters today!

Photo Credit: Kelsey Hale