A wave of fear washed over Walton Goggins on his first day of work on Prime Video's post-apocalyptic drama “Fallout.” He was on a lakeside location and was so taken aback by the heavy makeup and voluminous costume of his outlaw character that he wondered if he would make it to Day 2.
“The heat index was 106 degrees,” he recalled. “I could not see. My periphery was shut down. I couldn't hear that well. I couldn't swallow. After a couple of setups, I sat on a log and thought, “I don't know if I can do this.” I really don't.'”
Goggins was taking on the role of the Ghoul, a 200-year-old gunslinger. Think of Clint Eastwood's Nameless Man without a poncho or nose, and you'll have an idea of what the Ghoul looks like. The actor said that he was “extremely overwhelmed” not only by the makeup, but by the process of becoming a Ghoul: “I had to adopt the mentality of carrying the pain that he has been walking with for 200 years.”
“I'm getting too old for this s—,” he thought.
Walton Goggins as The Ghoul in Prime Video's “Fallout.”
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It was then that he recalled experiencing the same anxiety when he first took on many of the prominent roles that have established him as one of the most versatile performers in the industry.
“I realized I felt that way on 'The Shield,' on 'The Hateful Eight,' and on 'Vice Principals,'” Goggins said. “And I realized that if I don't have that fear at the beginning of an experience, then I know I need to do something else with my life.”
His fear disappeared and he proceeded to put on his Ghoul. His dual performance as the mutant menace and as movie star Cooper Howard is now praised as a highlight of “Fallout,” which has become the most popular series in the streamer's history. The drama, which premiered in April, has already been renewed for a second season.
The character is the latest addition to Goggins' vast gallery of unconventional multidimensional figures (many of them with bad behavior) already occupied by the ruthless criminal-turned-preacher Boyd Crowder in “Justified,” the sadistic slave overseer Billy Crash in “ Django Unchained” and the transgender prostitute. Venus Van Dam in the biker drama “Sons of Anarchy.”
And he is already working on the next entry: he is in the third season of HBO's “The White Lotus.” With a smile, she joked that he can't say a word about her character or the plot “or they'll kill me.”
Despite feeling a little fatigued from the round trip to Thailand, where the critically acclaimed series is filmed, Goggins was recently in a celebratory mood while sipping a lit margarita at Hollywood restaurant El Compadre, one of his favorite places.
Walton Goggins is currently filming the third season of “The White Lotus.”
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
“I've been going back and forth while all this 'Fallout' goodwill was happening,” he said. “I really try to treat success and failure (and I've had a lot of both in my life) the same way. I am very grateful for every opportunity I have been given. But my life is not going to change. I am still me.”
He referenced a time 18 years ago when his career was struggling.
“I was talking to my agent and I asked him, 'Why is it so hard?' And he said, 'It's not difficult, Walton. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. There is no one job, no silver bullet for your career. It is the sum total… the sum of all your work that will give you what you are looking for. Just keep your head down, go to work and keep doing what you're doing. This advice changed my life.”
While he suspected “Fallout” would draw some attention, especially from fans of the video game, “no one imagined it would be on this scale. This is gratifying and extremely humbling. “People showed up and responded to the work of 500 people who accomplished this.”
And although he tries to keep a low profile, he acknowledged that he is indeed having a moment.
“My career has been like a stock that you want to own, that I want to own,” he said. “There have been drops, but it has been gradually increasing over time. I do not know, man. They say that one door closes and another opens. My life has been: one door opens and another door opens and another door opens, and you find yourself in rooms with people like Quentin Tarantino and [“Fallout” executive producer Jonathan Nolan] without asking how you got there.”
The door that opened to “The White Lotus” has him particularly excited. He was shocked when his agents first broke the news to him as they sat down to eat at a restaurant.
“They said, 'Before we do anything, we have to tell him something. You just received an offer for 'The White Lotus' and it is a very good role. I said, 'Could you say that again?' They said: 'Mike [White, the series creator, writer and director] wants you.'
“I said, 'Could you excuse me for a minute?' I went out and started crying. Crying uncontrollably. I called my wife (writer-director Nadia Conners), shaking, and she said, 'I knew it!' Once, when we were watching it, she said, 'Why don't you do 'The White Lotus'? You'd be perfect for it.'”
As in previous seasons, the upcoming episodes will take place at a luxury resort. The cast includes Jason Isaacs, Carrie Coon, Scott Glenn, Michelle Monaghan and Natasha Rothwell, who played a Hawaiian resort spa manager in the first season.
“It's all very meta on every level,” Goggins said. “We are guests checking into a hotel playing guests checking into a hotel. We spend all this time together, whether we like it or not, having breakfast, lunch and dinner. We work where we stay.”
“My career has been like a stock that you want to own, that I want to own. There have been drops, but it has gradually increased over time,” Walton Goggins said.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
The actor is also excited about another project: “Press Your Luck,” an upcoming film based on the true story of Richard Larson, an unemployed trucker from Ohio who in 1984 appeared on the game show of the same name, won a slew of awards. . money and was later accused of cheating. The film features a cast that will include Paul Walter Hauser, David Strathairn and Maisie Williams.
With his busy schedule, Goggins is still perplexed by the attention an alleged feud between him and “Justified” star Timothy Olyphant has received. In a recent interview in the Independent, Goggins was quoted as saying that he and Olyphant were not speaking as the series neared its end, saying: “We had a difficult time.”
Goggins said: “It's crazy. There is no enmity.”
Pausing for a few moments, he continued: “The end of that show was difficult emotionally and people had different ways of dealing with it. It was a difficult goodbye and there were times when we didn't agree. But that's what you'd expect from any long experience you're interested in. How can you go through an experience like that and not have a disagreement?
“The truth is…Tim is a dear friend of mine and someone I love like a brother. I respect him as an artist and actor, probably more than anyone. He has not yet taken advantage of what he has to offer. I love the man. And I know he loves me.”
In a separate interview in Vanity Fair, Olyphant said he “always adored” Goggins and enjoyed his portrayal of the Ghoul.
As Goggins continued drinking his margarita, he reflected again on the importance of “The White Lotus.”
Working in Thailand marks a triumphant homecoming of sorts. She visited the region 15 years ago during an existential crisis motivated by personal tragedy.
“I went to a lot of the places we're filming now, the same streets and sandy beaches,” he said. “I have come so far in my life and have been healed on several levels. “I am very grateful for this moment and the path I have traveled.”
