Walton Goggins appeared in several roles when he was in Georgia before he starred in the FX series The Shield, which was aired from 2002 to 2008. His next role was that of Boyd Crowder in the neo-Western crime drama TV series Justified, which aired for six seasons between 2010 and 2015.
Goggins was praised for his role as Crowder in the series, but many might not know that the actor turned down the role not once but twice. He revealed the reason behind doing so in an interview, and it is nothing short of noble.
Walton Goggins on Why He Rejected Justified
Based on Elmore Leonard’s novella, Justified is a crime drama series that follows US Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) whose unconventional measures to bring about justice land him back in the native part of Kentucky which he believed to have left for good when he was younger.
Walton Goggins‘ Boyd Crowder debuted in the first season of the show. His character was that of a criminal who was initially the leader of a white supremacist group. In the latter seasons of the series, he reinvents himself several times.
It is not uncommon for actors to turn down roles. They often have to turn down roles due to scheduling conflicts or creative differences. Goggins is no exception and his reasoning for turning down the role of Boyd could not have been better.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the Fallout star reflected on the reason for rejecting the role, saying: “I turned down Justified twice.” He explained that he did not want to play the role of a Southern, racist stereotype, and absolutely did not want to say a racist slur.
Although Boyd was only supposed to appear in the pilot episode, the testing audience’s positive reaction to the character led the showrunner Graham Yost to keep it for all six seasons (via UPROXX). It is partly thanks to Goggins for the alterations he requested for in his role that Boyd became such a fan-favorite criminal.
Walton Goggins on Why He Accepted the Role
Walton Goggins’ rejection of the role was fair considering its white supremacy ties. However, he ultimately ended up playing the role for all six seasons and was the second lead character of the series.
In the interview with Rolling Stone, The Accountant star revealed:
“It was only because I was a big fan of Tim Olyphant and Graham Yost’s work that I said, “Look, I’ll say the things you want me to say in the pilot, because this is Elmore Leonard’s world. But in order for me to do this, I need [Tim’s character] Raylan Givens to acknowledge that Boyd does not believe a word he’s saying.””
It was done as he requested. In the series, Raylan does not give value to whatever Boyd says because he believes that it is all a cover-up for his illegal work. As Goggins had envisioned, this vanity of the character made it even more complex and compelling.
Justified is available for streaming on Hulu.
