From Peak TV to “Fallout,” Walton Goggins Reaches New Heights

“It’s always been like the perfect stock,” says Walton Goggins. The 52-year-old actor isn’t talking about his portfolio but his acting resume. As he explained during a recent conversation, “It’s gone down, but it’s always kind of gone up.” After three decades in a Hollywood career known for scene-stealing roles, Goggins reached “a new hilltop” with his Emmy-nominated role on Amazon’s “Fallout.”

Playing “a noseless cowboy bounty hunter who’s been roaming the post-apocalyptic wasteland for 200 years” as well as the character’s earlier movie star incarnation, Goggins brings a mix of sly humor and chilling menace to the role, anchoring the iconic video game’s adaptation. He also brings psychological mettle to a physical transformation that verges on “psychological torture.”

The Georgia-raised Goggins discussed his experience inside the first wave of “peak TV,” moving past Southern stereotypes, and the “new normal” of his “Fallout” breakthrough.

He is not a gamer. Yet, when approached for “Fallout,” he was captivated by a conversation with Jonathan Nolan and other executive producers. “Five minutes into the conversation, I said, ‘I’m in. I don’t know what ‘Fallout’ is. I don’t know the game. I don’t care that it’s based on a game. You could do it on a comic book, you could do it on whatever. It just came out of your imagination. If it’s with you guys, I’m in.’

They said, ‘Well, don’t you want to know what you’re playing?’ I replied, ‘Sure, but it’s irrelevant.’ They explained, ‘You’re playing a noseless cowboy bounty hunter who’s been roaming the post-apocalyptic wasteland for 200 years.’ Two episodes into reading the scripts, I called them back immediately and said, ‘I understand what you guys are doing, and I think it’s revolutionary, and I’d love to go on this journey with you.’

In the makeup chair, he experienced psychological torture similar to Jim Carrey’s experience as “The Grinch.” Goggins related, “Venus [his ‘Sons of Anarchy’ character] was different. It took about four hours, but I was being made beautiful. I once worked in South Africa for a ‘Maze Runner’ film, and that experience was traumatic. I thought, I will never, ever do that again.”

Initially, Goggins hadn’t thought much about the grueling makeup process. “Luckily for me, Vincent Van Dyke, one of the best prosthetic artists, was designing the piece with Jonah and myself.” Alongside special effects makeup artist Jake Garber, the application initially took five hours but eventually reduced to two hours and 15 minutes.

On the first day, things took a dramatic turn. “I got bitten by a brown recluse five times.” Goggins relied on professionals to manage both the physical and emotional stress of the transformation.

The character dynamics intrigued Goggins. “Anyone that’s spent any time in Hollywood can become a ghoul.” He explored Cooper Howard’s life, a western movie star whose career began as a stuntman. Understanding Howard’s world, relationships, and motivations enriched the character of The Ghoul.

After three decades in the industry, Goggins feels something has shifted. “I’ve been on an island and haven’t had the opportunity to experience life during this moment.” This new level in his career, filled with different experiences and new plateaus, brings him immense gratitude.

Goggins observes the evolving landscape of video game adaptations in media. “The Last of Us” and the success of “Fallout” suggest a shift in what viewers seek. He reflects, “We’ve had successes and failures in adapting video games. We’re standing on the shoulders of those before us, learning what works and what doesn’t.”

Reflecting on earlier eras of TV, Goggins likens his experience on “The Shield” to being an astronaut. “We were on an 84-hour, serialized, nuanced exploration of a character. It feels like being a pioneer in uncharted territory.”

The humor and satire in “Fallout” distinguish it from other adaptations, mirroring elements of the original game and Jonathan Nolan’s vision.

Playing varied characters, from funny to scary, Goggins stays focused on storytelling rather than specific genres. His heroes—Robert Duvall, Tony Hopkins, Chris Cooper—shared a love for storytelling that deeply influenced him.

Having portrayed numerous Southern characters, Goggins feels responsible for representing them authentically, breaking stereotypes, and depicting the complexity of their lives.

Recently, Goggins filmed “The White Lotus” in Thailand and returned to work on “The Righteous Gemstones.” He values the experience itself over the final product, deriving joy from moments of creation.

A fan of “The White Lotus,” he’s excited to be part of the show. “When I got that call to come and play, it was like another feather in my cap.”

Source: Salon