{"id":1541,"date":"2025-05-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prosperitywithory.com\/?p=1541"},"modified":"2025-05-13T02:13:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T02:13:25","slug":"you-dont-want-me-to-play-him-walton-goggins-on-the-role-he-almost-didnt-take","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prosperitywithory.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/09\/you-dont-want-me-to-play-him-walton-goggins-on-the-role-he-almost-didnt-take\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018You don\u2019t want me to play him\u2019: Walton Goggins on the role he almost didn\u2019t take"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Walton Goggins sits down with Metro to discuss his long career, upcoming new film, and what the future holds (Picture: GETTY \/ HBO \/ SKY TV \/ AMAZON PRIME)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Walton Goggins<\/a> has finally stepped fully into the spotlight \u2013 but fame, it turns out, casts long and complicated shadows.<\/p>\n

Having starred in over 50 films and countless TV shows, Goggins used to be one of those actors audiences recognised but couldn\u2019t quite place. \u2018Wasn\u2019t that guy in that thing I liked?\u2019 they\u2019d ask, trying to connect the dots between The Shield, Justified, Vice Principals, or one of a dozen other standout performances.<\/p>\n

Now, thanks to his fatal turn in The White Lotus<\/a> and his portrayal of Fallout<\/a>\u2019s villainous Bounty Hunter, The Ghoul, people aren\u2019t just recognising Walton, they\u2019re seeking him out. \u2018I just never wanted to be known for one thing,\u2019 he tells Metro <\/strong>from his Architectural Digest-famous<\/a> US home, shrugging off his newfound notoriety. \u2018I just keep moving.\u2019<\/p>\n

But on the back of this promotion to the A-list has come intense media scrutiny, most notably surrounding his supposed \u2018falling out\u2019 with co-star Aimee Lou Wood.<\/a><\/p>\n

But tabloid headlines aside, it\u2019s worth noting for the uninitiated that he didn\u2019t only recently become a household name because he isn\u2019t memorable \u2013 it\u2019s that his characters are so<\/em> memorable. At 53, Goggins\u2019 oversized smile and haunted, poet\u2019s eyes should make him instantly recognisable; yet, he\u2019s the rare actor who completely disappears into the roles he takes on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And when you meet Goggins, it feels evident that he prefers it that way. One gets a sense that he\u2019s not the kind of man who wants to be known intimately by millions of strangers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Goggins has exploded into A-list fame in recent months (Picture: Jamie McCarthy\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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He turned heads with his daring look at the MET Gala last week
(Picture: Matt Baron\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wearing an expensive-looking cardigan and statement glasses, a piece of striking modern art prominently in the background of our video call, Walton has an air of calculated nonchalance and LA refinement that\u2019s miles away from the frenetic, Southern characters he often plays.<\/p>\n

With barely a trace of the Georgia accent he says got him \u2018pigeonholed\u2019 in his early career, he takes pains to use my first name repeatedly, and his white-barricade of teeth is on full and frequent display. Still, his charm feels carefully crafted \u2013 the media-trained persona of someone more comfortable with a character to hide behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, as it turns out, if you\u2019re looking for clues about who Walton Goggins really<\/em> is, his recent roles do contain some hints.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the spiritually troubled, revenge-seeking spa guest he plays in The White Lotus, he says: \u2018Rick Hatchett, the person that I\u2019m playing right now, has always been a part of me. It\u2019s probably closer to me than a lot of things in my life, certainly closer to certain aspects of my personality.\u2019<\/p>\n

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The actor has gotten a lot of attention for his role as Rick Hatchett in The White Lotus opposite Amiee Lou Wood (Picture: HBO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Many fans fell in love with Goggins in his role as Boyd Crowder in the FX series Justified (Picture: FX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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He proved his chops as a comedic actor in Vice Principals (Picture: \u00a92016 Home Box Office, Inc. All)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When discussing the kinds of parts he gravitates towards, and how they\u2019re becoming more personal as the years go by, he says: \u2018I\u2019ve never tried to dictate the flow of my river, I just take it kind of as it comes.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

He continues: \u2018You know, every time I go to work, I feel the need to service whatever person I\u2019m playing and wherever they\u2019re from, in a sense.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

While this kind of cerebral, self-serious talk would seem pretentious coming from most celebrities, Goggins manages to come off not only as sincere but downright enlightened \u2013 for a heartbeat, I\u2019m genuinely tempted to thank him for his service.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked if he considers himself a character actor, he insists that he truly sees no difference between playing an undead, radioactive gunslinger and one-half of an Evangelical Christian song-and-dance duo. At my raised eyebrow, he only doubles down harder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The actor speaks about his craft with almost religious zeal (Picture: Amanda Edwards\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018They\u2019re real people that exist in the world,\u2019 he says of any role. \u2018I feel like Lee Russell [his character on Vice Principals], lives in Charleston, South Carolina, for example\u2026if a character is big<\/em>, it was only because that was what the auteur was setting out to do, and that\u2019s what the story was asking for. And the same thing with, you know.. I guess being a leading man or being small, at the end of the day, they\u2019re the same.\u2019<\/p>\n

Eventually, after some prodding and more raised eyebrows about his use of the word \u2018auteur,\u2019 he is willing to admit he sees some<\/em> difference between acting roles, generally.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018The opportunities that I wanted in film, I wasn\u2019t going to get. You\u2019re not going to hire me to be 007, that\u2019s never going to happen. You\u2019re not going to hire me to be Bourne Identity. You\u2019re going to hire Matt Damon. But all of those opportunities that I didn\u2019t have in film, I\u2019ve had in television,\u2019 he explains. Still, he insists: \u2018But I don\u2019t look at my career or opportunities as leading man vs. characters.\u2019<\/p>\n

Walton Goggins stars in The Uninvited \u2013 directed by his wife Nadia Conners<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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