Walton Goggins shared one story of rejection in his career which made him realize many things in life. He has been considered one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood with a wide range of roles under his belt so it’s crazy to think that he still gets declined at auditions.
He currently stars in Prime Video’s Fallout series as Cooper Howard/The Ghoul, but before that, the actor tried to audition for Eastbound & Down years ago though he failed to snag the role of Shane.
Walton Goggins On Missing Out Role In Eastbound & Down
During his interview with Business Insider, actor Walton Goggins revealed he tried to audition for Eastbound & Down and that his performance blew away the director so hard he was rejected. The part went to Jason Sudeikis.
“Yeah, I was considered for it. Jason got it. But I was up for it, and because of that reading, David called me afterward and said, ‘Man, you were dangerous, and we liked it.’ But obviously, they went another way.”
The actor admitted, “I am a competitive person with myself. Not with anyone else,” in response to how he faces rejection. He always likes to win at everything. When asked if he was bitter about Sudeikis landing the role of Shane, Goggins replied:
“Not at all. I believe roles come into your life. I’ve never missed out on a role. I haven’t gotten a number of roles I really wanted, but I wasn’t right for them, and the people that missed out on roles that I’ve gotten, I hope they feel the same way. It ebbs and flows.”
He shared a reflection that he learned over the years working in the Hollywood industry. For him, he always looks straight ahead and never compares his journey to anyone else. One of the things he learned early in his 20s is “that I don’t look in other people’s lanes. I’m in my lane. I’m not competing against anyone.”
Walton Goggins On His Untimely Audition
In a conversation with Vanity Fair, Goggins confessed he bombed his audition for Eastbound & Down. Although he claimed he did great with his performance, there was something amiss in his looks.
“I walked into this room with my braces on, and my f—king shorts on, and some white tube socks. I walked in and there were me and four comedians from Saturday Night Live, and it was like, ‘Well, this is never going to happen.’ That’s Jason, that’s so-and-so, this is crazy.”
Goggins decided to attend to his personal business when he got the call for an audition. Instead of dismissing it due to the circumstances, he still gave it a shot. Even though he ultimately did not get the part, there was a lesson to learn there and that is what’s important.
As they say, failures and rejections lead to better things. He stars in the Fallout series, now streaming on Prime Video, which currently has a staggering 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
