Walton Goggins Set Up the ‘Justified’ Reunion in ‘Fallout’ Himself: ‘I Knew the Perfect Guy’

Ben Travers
·3 min read
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In a “Fallout” premiere packed with surprises, the Ghoul’s introduction is a nasty little treat. It’s a dark, blustery evening. Three men go grave-digging, but rather than robbing the dead, they’ve come with an offer. A rich bounty is up for grabs, and they need a little help to procure it. Honcho, the group’s leader, thinks he knows just the man for the job: a bounty hunter Honcho’s father used to work with, who’s been buried alive for years, maybe decades, at this very cemetery.

Things do not go according to plan for ol’ Honcho, but the scene executes its own ends with rousing style: It quickly establishes Walton Goggins’ Ghoul as a force to be reckoned with, while providing a delightful bonus for “Justified” fans: Goggins and Mykelti Williamson, together again.

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When IndieWire spoke to Goggins about “Fallout,” he said that reuniting with Williamson — who co-starred in the FX crime drama as Ellstin Limehouse, a butcher, diner owner, and de facto banker to Kentucky’s backwoods’ criminals — was “no coincidence.”

“This role [for Honcho] was coming up,” Goggins said, “and they asked me point blank if I knew someone. I said, ‘I know the perfect guy: Mykelti. He would be incredible in this. I can give him a call if you think that it’s a reality.’ And they called back and said, ‘We love T, we love him so much.’ So I called him and he said, ‘Yeah, man, I’ll get on a plane. I’ll come out there.’ We’ve remained really good friends [since ‘Justified’]. I love him. He’s a great man.”

When he thought of Williamson (a SAG Award nominee with memorable roles in everything from “Forrest Gump” and “Fences” to “Con Air” and “Midnight Caller”), Goggins said he wasn’t thinking about “Justified.” He was just paying it forward.

“That favor has been extended to me by people that wanted me to just come and play with them, and I do that whenever [I get] the opportunity,” he said. “I know a lot of people — in my Rolodex, 10 people could have played that part — but Mykelti was the one in my imagination. Whenever you get the opportunity to work with a friend who you have that shorthand [with], and you know they’re going to deliver, you make your phone call to your friend.”

Goggins emphasized how important it is for actors working under difficult circumstances — “and when I say ‘difficult circumstances,’ filming on any level can be stressful” — to know they can rely on the person standing across from them. Offscreen friendships can strengthen onscreen performances, just as they can help sustain careers in a volatile industry.

“It all ebbs and flows in this business,” he said. “You have times when you’re up and times when you’re down, and the times when you’re up or the times when you’re down, you can count on friends to make that call when you’re right for something, or you can bring something interesting to it.”

“I’ve done that a number of times in my life,” Goggins said. “I did a CBS sitcom called ‘The Unicorn,’ and you can believe I called Omar [Benson Miller], and I called Rob [Corddry], and I didn’t know Michaela [Watkins], but as soon as they mentioned her, I got her phone number and called her too — and now she’s my friend.”

Turns out reunions aren’t just nice for the fans. They can be pretty darn special for the actors, too.

“Fallout” Season 1 is available on Amazon Prime Video.

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