“I think we just needed to separate, like brothers”: Walton Goggins Explains What Went Wrong Between Him and Justified Co-star Timothy Olyphant

Walton Goggins has been making waves across the globe with his latest role in Jonathan Nolan’s adaptation of the popular video game series Fallout. However, the actor had reached his peak a long before acting in one of the biggest series projects of modern times. With roles ranging from corrupt police officers to post-apocalyptic bounty hunters, Goggins has the variety and range most actors can only dream of and more.

But even equipped with such a rare talent, Goggins does fall prey to human flaws that once resulted in a breakup with fellow co-star Timothy Olyphant while filming Justified. And the reason behind the rift was just as much understandable as it was unnecessary.

Walton Goggins Reveals the Cause of Rift With Justified Star

For Walton Goggins, who has been described as one of the best character actors working today, his time on the set of Justified was a reflection of just that – a vehement display of negative feelings seeping out from the script of the series into his real-life friendship with the lead star. In an interview with the Independent, Goggins finally opened up about his infamous rift with Timothy Olyphant:

“We had a tough time towards the end of Justified. 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.”

In the end, the pair patches up as Goggins recalls:

“I think we just needed to separate, like brothers. 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.” 

Although the rift has now been mended and repaired, it is not surprising to witness Walton Goggins’ method work causing ripples in otherwise calm waters. After all, portraying a dangerous antagonist in a highly-rated, audience-worshipped, and critically acclaimed crime drama had to come with its own set of woes for a method actor as invested in his craft as Walton Goggins.

Walton Goggins Steps Up His Hollywood Game With Fallout

Although method-driven work has caused much trouble in his experience, it is this trait of the actor that has allowed him to deliver such iconic roles in film and television time and again. Be it in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight or his Oscar-winning short film The Accountant, Walton Goggins is worth his weight in gold and continues to prove it in Jonathan Nolan‘s Fallout.

Walton Goggins portrays a scarred bounty-hunting character named ‘The Ghoul’ who travels across wastelands and comes up against the idealistic yet ambitious character played by Ella Purnell. With a skeletal look that would have induced nightmares if not for the overtly futuristic plot of the series, Goggins proves once more that green screen acting in no way takes away the fun of playing fantastical and other-worldly roles – a popular problem faced by actors in the modern comic adaptation industry.

As the actor skips from one project to the next (Mike White’s The White Lotus), Goggins ups his Hollywood game as he finally gets the recognition he rightfully deserved and was long overdue.

Fallout is currently streaming on Prime Video. The White Lotus Season 3 will be available for streaming on MAX in 2025.