For the past 20 years, Walton Goggins has built up a reputation as the best-kept secret on television. His career is remarkably idiosyncratic, boasting an electric filmography filled with eccentric characters. Goggins got his start on hard-edged dramas like FX’s The Shield, playing a cop who was equal parts repulsive and pathetic. His profoundly sympathetic performance landed him scene-stealing roles like Justified‘s Boyd Crowder and Chris Mannix in Hateful Eight. While he delivers consistently brilliant dramatic work, Goggins has also demonstrated a gift for comedy. Shows like Vice Principals and Righteous Gemstones have allowed him to show off his impressive comedic timing. These skills make Walton Goggins perfect for Fallout, and he serves the show well as The Ghoul.
Walton Goggins Makes the Most Outlandish Character Cool
As an undead mutant gunslinger reminiscent of Western Cowboys, The Ghoul is quite a strange role.
Walton Goggins has the charisma to make any character cool, no matter how bizarre.
Goggins’ performance as Boyd Crowder in Justified hints at the star power on display during Fallout.
Fallout may be a world defined by wacky peculiarities, many of which are satirical jabs at the inherent ridiculousness of capitalism. But The Ghoul is an absurd work of fiction even by the show’s broadly comedic standards. He’s a washed-up actor who survived an apocalyptic atomic blast as an undead gunslinger. Many would struggle to make this character feel believable, let alone cool. However, Walton Goggins can take this ridiculous role and create a steel-jawed bounty hunter able to rival Eastwood’s Man With No Name. Caked under detailed make-up, Goggins carries himself like a classic movie star, purring his lines with suave charisma. He delivered similarly impressive work with another outlandish figure in Justified years earlier.
When Justified debuted in 2010, it quickly became one of FX’s biggest draws. Walton Goggins’ portrayal of Boyd Crowder was imperative to the show’s success, making the role one of the most fascinating characters on television. Crowder is a pathetic individual, a lowlife criminal desperate to make a name for himself by any means necessary. Many would choose to portray this character as a fool, but Goggins played him as a magnetic figure worthy of Shakespeare. In his hands, Boyd is sophisticated and loquacious, endearing himself to viewers despite the ridiculous nature of his ideas. His performance in Fallout is similar, encouraging viewers to see The Ghoul as a dramatic figure despite the role’s inherent strangeness.
Walton Goggins is Television’s Unsung Master of Dark Comedy
Fallout is a post-apocalyptic blend of genres with a dark sense of humor.
Walton Goggins is known for his mastery of both drama and pitch-black comedy.
Hateful 8 shows how Goggins can deliver a fun performance in a bleak setting.
Given Fallout‘s apocalyptic imagery and bloody violence, those unfamiliar with the source material could easily assume the series is a dour outing. Imagine their surprise to discover the show is frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious. In many ways, Fallout is defined by its dark sense of humor. Characters born in this dystopian wasteland are silly yet played with the utmost dramatic conviction. Walton Goggins is quintessential for a show like Fallout, possessing the comedic sensibilities needed to walk its tonal tightrope. While many celebrate him as a dramatic actor, the man is also unabashedly hysterical. Many of Goggins’ performances blend comedy with inner darkness, such as his scenery-chewing turn in Tarantino’s Hateful Eight.
Quentin Tarantino’s films are known for their irreverent approach to shocking subject matter, and The Hateful Eight is no exception. A brutal and nihilistic murder mystery, this Western analyzes race and gender dynamics with a pitch-black sense of humor. Walton Goggins takes full advantage of the film’s pulpy tone. Playing proud Confederate sheriff Chris Mannix, Goggins delivers a delightfully hammy performance as a despicable human being. Mannix’s racism is never downplayed or excused, and Goggins chooses to portray him as a theatrical buffoon. This choice results in some excellent dark comedy, perfectly suiting Tarantino’s sensationalist approach to the narrative. While The Ghoul is a much different role than Chris Mannix, he still benefits from Goggins’ bombastic flair.
Walton Goggins Makes Every Role Feel Human
Fallout‘s opening scene is emotionally gut-wrenching, due in large part to Walton Goggins’ performance.
Goggins’ work as Cooper Howard in The Shield reveals a warm and human side to the character.
Walton Goggins’s breakout role in The Shield showcases his ability to provide depth to a difficult role.
The Ghoul wasn’t always a mutilated corpse with a six-shooter. Before the nuclear apocalypse, he was famed actor Cooper Howard. On October 23rd, 2077, Howard performed at a children’s birthday party alongside his daughter, despite an impending nuclear threat. His showmanship proves a desperate attempt to distract his young audience from almost certain doom. It’s a tense scene. Howard is a warm yet pitiful presence here, a Stepford smiler in the face of a pending apocalypse. Goggins has always had a knack for endearing himself to audiences, no matter what the circumstances. The Shield tasked him with another challenging role, yet Walton Goggins made his character the show’s heart and soul.
Few parts demand more of an actor than that of Shane Vendrell. One of The Shield‘s leading roles, Shane is a horrifically corrupt cop with a laundry list of sins. He’s a racist thug who only grows more ethically bankrupt throughout the show’s run. Murder is just one of many crimes that Vendrell commits as a police officer. However, the character’s journey is one of The Shield‘s most impactful narrative arcs and a highlight of Walton Goggins’ career. Delivering a performance filled with existential dread, Goggins underscores Shane’s self-awareness. Much like Cooper Howard, Shane is haunted by the knowledge that one day his world will crumble all around him.
By the series finale, Shane knows he’s a bad man condemned to a lifetime of self-hatred. Wracked with guilt, he spends his final days in denial, terrified of facing the consequences of his actions. The corrupt lawman goes on the run with his family, ashamed of his evil deeds. Too cowardly to turn himself in, Vendrell meets his end in a purgatory of his own making. Walton Goggins does an excellent job portraying Shane’s fear of the inescapable, just as he did with Cooper Howard in Fallout‘s opening scene. Both characters know their lives will change irrevocably, and it’s too late to do anything about it.
Why Walton Goggins Is Perfect for Fallout
Walton Goggins has always been one of the finest performers of his generation, but he’s never received the full credit he deserved. His willingness to tackle roles that are challenging, or flat-out ridiculous, proves his versatility as an actor. However, these peculiar career decisions haven’t given him the same mainstream recognition as someone like Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise. Hopefully, this series can change that. Fallout has proven to be one of Amazon’s standouts of the season, and more fans are flocking to it every day. Many have praised Goggins’ character as one of the primary reasons to watch the show. Even with a roster full of deeply unusual narrative figures, The Ghoul is still a standout among Walton Goggins’ remarkable filmography.
Fallout is a show that lives and dies by its cast. In the wrong hands, these characters would lack depth, their nuance sacrificed in favor of maintaining the show’s satirical atmosphere. Very few actors could take a role as strange as The Ghoul and make him work as a dramatic figure, but Walton Goggins makes it look easy. With his deft understanding of both comedy and drama, Goggins strolls onto the scene with the swagger of a movie star. Viewers forget that his face is obscured by prosthetics, as his work in the role outshines the character’s unique design. An irreverent action hero with plenty of pathos, Goggins’ masterful performance is the reason viewers gravitate to The Ghoul.
