Oh boy. For a few days, Justified lovers have been reckoning with the realization that Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins did not 110% adore each other during every moment on the set of the FX show. The horror. And not even Goggins posting a shirtless photo squashed the mental image of the actors who portrayed Raylan and Boyd wanting to maybe do this in real life.
Soap operas are fun? Hmm. The chatter kicked into high gear when Olyphant more than took the high road while fielding a Vanity Fair question on the subject. This began with Goggins admitting that the two “weren’t talking” near Justified‘s final scenes while adding, “I think we just needed to separate, like brothers… We just needed to take a break in order to come back together.”
In response, Olyphant explained that there were simply some frustrating moments when Goggins pushed back at scripts to ensure that Boyd Crowder stuck an authentic landing. The Deadwood lead also suggested that the friction could have been a means to leave the series without being sad at the end because it’s “easier” to leave without melancholy. Maybe? Whatever the case, these two are just peachy now, and Olyphant pointed towards a highlight of his Alien role being that he can go visit his friend. Via Vanity Fair:
“Bangkok’s really special. There’s a monster in [Alien], and the monster takes up a lot of screen time. That lets me go down to the beach. I got to go see my buddy Walton Goggins down there filming The White Lotus.”
It’s true: Bangkok is special. And how is Goggins doing in Thailand? He’s occupied with memorializing his current experience by lip-synching Radiohead’s “Karma Police.” People, he’s lost himself:
“Down the road… when I’m eventually asked …What was it like doing the WHITE LOTUS,” Goggins wrote. “This will be my answer. MIKE WHITE!! What an experience this is.” It’s best not to read anything into this, y’all. Simply form an appreciative queue.