Walton Goggins talks with Tonya Mosley about growing up poor in the Deep South, the travel that changed him, and collaborating with his wife. He says his unconventional childhood shaped his approach to acting, from Justified to The White Lotus and The Righteous Gemstones. David Bianculli reviews a new two-part HBO documentary about Paul Reubens, who played Pee-Wee Herman.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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This is Fresh Air. I'm Tanya Mosley, and today my guest is Walton Goggins. He has been on a run like no other. The White Lotus, The Righteous Gemstones, Fallout, and his newest film, The Uninvited. It's the latest surge in a 30-year career built on playing some of the most magnetic and morally complex characters in film and television.
From the sharp-witted outlaw Boyd Crowder in Justified, to the swaggering, scheming baby Billy Freeman in The Righteous Gemstones, to a series of layered portrayals of Southern men in films including Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, Goggins has talked about how he tries to bring authenticity and nuance to his roles, portraying Southern men resisting the pressure to turn them into caricatures.
Lately, Goggins has been reflecting on the arc of his career and how his childhood has informed his approach to his craft. And when we sat down for our interview, he said, let's get into the thick of it, the real of it, life in between the roles. So that's exactly what we did. We started talking about hosting Saturday Night Live, which he did a few weeks ago.
It was the day before Mother's Day, and he describes it as a high point in his career, in part because he shared the moment with his mother.
I was raised in Atlanta, Georgia by my mother, with the help of her three sisters and my grandmother. And my mama is the most important person in my life. Growing up, whenever my mama, she couldn't afford a babysitter, she would take me with her to honky tonks. My mother taught me how to clog, taught me how to two-stuck, and luckily enough for me, my mama is here tonight.
We've come a really long way, haven't we, Mom? Absolutely. And since it's Mother's Day tomorrow, Mama, would you dance with me? Yes. Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You know what? Yeah, hold on. Let's kick this up a notch. Fellas, if you don't mind.
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