Painkiller: Is Taylor Kitsch's Glen Kryger Based On A Real Person?

Netflix's latest prestige drama series, Painkiller, proved to be one of the most exciting shows the streaming giant released this year. The story unraveling the origins of the current opioid crisis features some great performances from Matthew Broderick, Taylor Kitsch, and Uzo Aduba, while giving the audience an uncensored look at the Sackler family, who introduced OxyContin back in the 90s, and the people whose lives were ruined by the dangerous drug.

And while all of the main cast did a great job, it was Kitsch's performance as Glen Kryger that really lifted the entire show. Kitsch's character is a tire shop owner who struggles with his life after he becomes addicted to the drug following a serious back injury.

Fans were happy to see the actor finally get the recognition he has long deserved, hoping that his extremely assured performance may earn Kitsch some prestige nominations later this year. And given how realistic his performance as Glen is, viewers have begun to wonder if the character was actually based on a real person.

Although the show obviously used a lot of real-life stories as inspiration for the characters, Kitsch's Glen is not actually based on a real person. Reportedly, the character was created by the series' writers and Kitsch together.

However, as the actor revealed, his performance as Glen was actually influenced by personal experience. One of the people close to him suffered from opioid and amphetamine abuse, and Taylor himself spent a lot of time trying to make his friend's life better.

With such a depressing backstory, it's no wonder that Kitsch did everything in his power to play his character as realistically as possible, showing how many people were affected by the widespread use of opioids.

The fact that some fans suspected the writers of using a real-life story as the basis for Glen proves that Painkiller succeeded in its main goal. The show's portrayal of the ongoing crisis is painfully realistic and hits home for millions of viewers, especially in the US.

Painkiller is currently available to stream in its entirety on Netflix.