Though it was an understandable source of frustration to see the end of his dream career in sports, Taylor Kitsch was fortunate enough to be approached by a modeling scout in Vancouver soon after. By 2002, after a lot of insistence, he had been signed with IMG Models and was living in New York, but it wasn't quite the glamorous life one might expect. Though the agency provided housing, he was left with very little every month and, eventually, Kitsch was homeless.
"It's not like I was this mainstream f***in' runway model," he told Elle. "I wasn't working. I lived in an apartment in Spanish Harlem with no electricity, and then I lost that." The apartment was unfurnished except for a borrowed blow-up mattress — which he replaced after getting birthday money from his mom, who Kitsch says "didn't know how bad it was" (via Maclean's). But they kicked him out for being unable to pay rent, so Kitsch started sleeping in subway cars.
Quickly, it became clear to him that New York wasn't working, so he relocated to Los Angeles. There, he got certified as a personal trainer, getting jobs despite not being legally able due to a lack of green card and visa. But Kitsch, despite scoring a manager during this time, was still living out of his car. Ready to admit defeat, he returned to Vancouver with little to show for all that struggle, only to finally start getting roles.
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