Timothy Olyphant on His Falling Out with His 'Justified' Co-Star Walton Goggins

Before we get to the falling out, it’s important to note that Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins have since reconciled and that, “like brothers,” they needed to separate, according to Goggins.

“I respect and love him greatly, and I feel respected and loved by him greatly. We just needed to take a break in order to come back together,” Goggins told The Independent earlier this month. Goggins basically attributed the falling out at the end of Justified to their characters. “We were so deep into these people we were playing, and they were so polar opposite at this point in the story… I think we were both obsessed with our own points of view, just carrying the weight of this conflict.”

Timothy Olyphant, in an interview with Vanity Fair, where he also insists that Goggins should win an Emmy for his role in Fallout, confirms their falling out. According to Olyphant’s version of events, I’d say that maybe it was a difference in philosophy: Olyphant didn’t put a lot of thought into his character beyond what was in the script, while Goggins put too much thought into his character beyond what was in the script.

Okay, here’s my version. I adored working with Walt from the jump, but these actors, they’re a pain in the ass. \[Grinning\] They get really into their work! There was this thing where, as the show went on, and especially as the thing came to an end, where I would come from the writers’ room. They’d add things that were like, “Here’s what we need Walt to do in order to get to this finale we want.” Then Walt would say his character would never do that, and then I’d be like, “Goddamn it.” \[Laughs\] We’d get really frustrated with each other.

Olyphant, who conducted this interview in the same good-natured manner that he exhibits in his appearances with Conan, also said that the fact that they were all saying goodbye added to the pressure. “Every time I’m at the end of any shoot, the longer the shoot, the more you feel it. Everybody starts acting funny. Summer camp comes to an end. I’d love to say that I’m immune to that, but I’m not.”

Olyphant, nevertheless, also reiterates his affection for Goggins, whom he recently hung out with in Thailand, where he’s filming his Alien series while Goggins is shooting season three of The White Lotus. “I’ve always adored that guy and I love working with him, and he’s something special. It was fun to see him in this new job. I know he had a ball doing it. I’d work with him again in a heartbeat. And I’m assuming if we do it again, he’ll be more predisposed to listen to me. [Laughs]”

Source: Vanity Fair