It wasn’t sipping whiskey throughout from Sam Rockwell, gobsmacked as he heard the story of an existential sexual awakening. It wasn’t shouldering the deadly ending and it wasn’t busting a litany of snakes free from their cages, both. Nice moments, all of them, and lots extra to talk of from this yr’s The White Lotus. However relating to his dominant yr on TV, there’s one Walton Goggins second that beat all of them, and it boils right down to a single phrase: “Teenjus.”
Let’s again up.
Regardless of being a tv fixture for many years with iconic roles on FX’s The Defend and Justified (to not point out recurring as Venus Van Dam on Sons of Anarchy), Goggins totally exploded this yr. Scorching off an Emmy-nominated activate Fallout in 2024, the erstwhile Boyd Crowder entered 2025 with authority, starring as wounded chook Rick Hatchett on Mike White’s third season of The White Lotus. As Rick, Goggins received to point out longtime followers and incoming members of his fan membership a rarer aspect of the actor: quiet, restrained, in deep quantities of unstated ache. Ultimately, Rick’s story ended as tragically because it started, leaving a large influence crater not solely on an emotional degree, however on a sensible one — there was a sudden lack of Goggins on the common HBO Sunday lineup.
Besides, in fact, Goggins was not instantly gone from HBO. Removed from it. All one needed to do was spend money on some of the indelible HBO comedies in latest reminiscence: The Righteous Gem stones, from the good (and deranged) thoughts of Danny McBride, one other one in all Goggins’ frequent collaborators (not to mention travel buddies).
After main a two-season run on Vice Principals collectively, Goggins and McBride’s newest team-up was an much more outrageous endeavor, a hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt examination of a televangelical household dynasty often known as the Gem stones. Whereas the present targeted largely on the three core Gemstone siblings and their father, Goggins performed a pivotal supporting function, once more each hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt, with hair-and-makeup enhancements that made him nearly as unrecognizable as The Ghoul on Fallout. (Emphasis on “nearly.”)
Enter: Uncle Child Billy Freeman, the shock-white-hair-wigged geriatric has-been turned has-been-born-again, having reworked from washed-up little one star right into a prolifically profitable sport present host, to not point out household man. Removed from the times of feeding silver bullets from Colorado to his underage nephew, and much from the Child Billy who deserted his little one (performed by Macaulay Culkin in a memorable season two cameo), this closing model of Child Billy in season 4 was on the top of his powers — solely to comprehend sustaining that top concerned getting actually excessive, and maybe the concept of chasing a closing crowning achievement was a Quixotic errand in mild of his true prize: a household that loves and respects him for the Uncle Child Billy he’s.
The Righteous Gem stones is over, and it has been for 2 months now. For Goggins, the method of closing down his time as Uncle Child Billy got here on the quick different aspect of closing down his time on The White Lotus. Hopping from Rick’s devastating ending straight into Billy’s joyful conclusion was no small feat for the actor, particularly contemplating what it virtually concerned: an elaborate dance quantity for the musical film “Teenjus” (watch that, beneath), wherein the 53-year-old Goggins starred because the 70-something Child Billy starring as a teenage Jesus Christ. Wigs on wigs have been required to make this work, amongst different requirements, and the outcomes have been clear: some of the absurd but joyful tv moments not simply of this yr, however of Goggins’ complete profession.
With Emmy nominations simply across the nook, and with no matter awards-saturated future awaits Goggins, we can not go on with out praising “Teenjus.” Under, in my dialog with Goggins, we do precisely that. However first, we stroll via the reminiscence palace of Uncle Child Billy’s life, from season one during to the top, and properly past.
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Walton, I’m making an attempt to trace what number of completely different characters you have been holding area for throughout this second in your profession. You’ve the Ghoul on Fallout, who’s already successfully two characters, who you must pause with the intention to play Rick on The White Lotus. You finish your time as Rick, already an intense character so that you can maintain, and you then instantly return to Uncle Child Billy on Gem stones. You’ve mentioned in interviews that you simply weren’t executed holding onto Rick Hatchett till The White Lotus finale really aired. Was that the identical with you and Uncle Child Billy? Did you must maintain onto him till the ultimate Righteous Gem stones season started airing?
That’s an excellent query, and I’d say the reply to that query would have been very completely different for seasons one and two. As a result of it’s [a ridiculous character], however he’s additionally grounded and rooted in fact. Child Billy is a narcissist, however Child Billy was additionally left behind. He was an individual who had this collaboration along with his sister. That’s occurred to many individuals over the course of a profession in present enterprise. We’ve seen it the place you are feeling a technique about your self after which when that collaboration involves an finish, when that individual is taken away from you otherwise you’re not invited to the following celebration and also you’re left alone and also you enterprise out by yourself, you understand that no, you’re not that individual.
I feel for anybody to not have empathy for a scenario like that, what sort of individual would you be when you didn’t see that for the fact that it’s? A lot of [Baby Billy] was about poverty and never having the sources to supply for his household the way in which that his sister did, for being the perennial outsider and being welcomed, however probably not being welcomed, to the Gem stones home along with his household and feeling lower than for his total grownup life, actually, till he meets [his wife] Tiff (Valyn Corridor). [Pauses] We’re speaking a few comedy in a really critical method!
Effectively, you form of must, with the intention to crack into the character, actually, however that’s a number of the genius of this present.
Season one was actually robust, getting via plenty of that. Then season two, what Danny McBride does as properly, if not higher than anybody, is write these profoundly over-the-top satirical conditions and folks, personalities which can be additionally grounded in actual reality. That’s what it truly is for me.
Season two was about Child Billy reconciling his narcissism and the sacrificing of his little one. I can’t even say that with out tearing up, actually. He deserted his household, he deserted his little one, and he has to come back to phrases with that with the intention to transfer ahead in his new life with the spouse he has now, and make amends and apologize. That complete season for me inching in the direction of this final inevitable confrontation along with his son and discovering the phrases to say “I’m sorry” and actually imply it. And in Danny McBride vogue, he’s ready to try this from a narcissistic standpoint saying, “Effectively, you don’t take into consideration me? You don’t surprise what I’m as much as? And is there something I can do for you, son?”
Walton Goggins within the closing season of Righteous Gem stones, directing “Teenjus.”
HBO
You may let him punch you within the face! Actually, that scene lives with me, as a result of it’s layered not solely in what’s occurring with Uncle Child Billy, however there’s rather a lot in there about Macaulay Culkin taking part in your son, and realizing a number of the public story about his profession and the way he grew up as a toddler actor underneath laborious circumstances. There was plenty of energy in that casting choice.
Once they advised me it might be Macaulay, I had by no means met him however we had mates in frequent. I noticed him standing exterior of his trailer that day after I pulled as much as set, however I didn’t need him to see me until I used to be in my make-up. I didn’t take a look at him, I didn’t smile, I didn’t say something. I noticed him exterior of the automobile, he noticed me, I waved, then by no means mentioned a phrase. I walked into make-up, did my transformation, talked via the scene with David Gordon Inexperienced, who was directing on that exact day, and we labored via the whole expertise. It was solely after I took the wig and make-up off that we sat and hugged and talked shit. I advised him how a lot of a fan I used to be, and we’re mates now. We textual content and hangout.
Then on the quick different aspect of this reconciliation along with his son, Child Billy turns into a father once more with Tiff, which brings us to a different scene that lives rent-free in my head: “… a rest room child?”
That’s a possibility to rewrite your individual historical past, isn’t it? That was the bookend to my complete expertise. Right here he’s: Right here’s my son. Right here’s my second probability. I want to do that yet again. It makes me fucking cry, as a result of God, all of us want second probabilities. All of us need that chance. All of us have regrets. We’re all simply studying alongside the way in which.
So, a great distance of answering your unique query: season three comes round, Danny tells ms, “Okay, we’re simply going to have plenty of enjoyable this season.” And in season 4, we proceed that enjoyable with Billy. He will get his Bible Bonkers sport present. He’s again on tv with Aunt Tiff, and taking part in all of that out with Valyn Corridor — the enjoyment and love of their relationship and the success they’ve is admittedly particular. He’s all the time craved this consideration, and we see he does have one thing to contribute. He discovered his lane. We go proper from that into season 4 and “Teenjus.” So, with all that mentioned, am I nonetheless residing with Child Billy in a painful method? No. I’m unhappy that I received’t get to play him once more. However I’m so gratified with what we did along with his story, and I’m so happy with all of the actors and folks concerned on this present. And I’m actually fucking happy with my buddy Danny. I really feel prefer it’s time to present him his flowers. He’s been doing this for therefore lengthy, and it’s an actual feather in my cap to be part of his steady. I can’t wait to see what we do subsequent.
I need to ask: you might be 53-year-old Walton Goggins taking part in a 70-something Child Billy taking part in a teenage Jesus Christ. How do you do this?
You are taking it significantly! We talked a bit with our wardrobe designer about how he would costume for the half as a director — taking it very significantly like he’s Martin Scorsese, for actual. However then we have now to determine: How will we transition from him as this very critical director to deciding that he’s going to do it himself and get in entrance of the digital camera [to play Teenjus]? He has a really particular imaginative and prescient however he’s working with amateurs, and he sees they’re not up for it so he’s gotta go do the job himself. (Laughs.) I didn’t know any of this was going to occur forward of time, by the way in which.
You didn’t sit down forward of time with Danny to map out Teenjus?
We’d sit down and skim the whole lot beforehand for seasons one and two, as a result of clearly that was essential for me as this character. For season three, I didn’t have plenty of time to work, so he was in a position to backload all of my stuff right into a concentrated six or seven weeks. Then for season 4, clearly, I wasn’t there for the primary 4 and a half months of capturing. I used to be capturing The White Lotus, and when that was executed, I got here proper again for Child Billy.
I landed, [went to The Righteous Gemstones production], and it was all Child Billy on a regular basis. I had gotten to a sure level the place I couldn’t let every other story in my head apart from Rick Hatchett and attending to the top of that have. And due to that, Danny stored Teenjus from me. I had gotten episodes one via 4 in my head whereas I used to be on the treadmill in Thailand, however after that, it’s March or April or one thing, and I hadn’t checked out all past that. So after I received there, and when he advised me in regards to the Teenjus storyline — I couldn’t cease laughing.
There’s the large “Teenjus” music quantity — “On a groove that’s so divine, turning water into wine” — and also you’re dancing your coronary heart out. Discuss to me in regards to the preparation. Was it completely different from a number of the different music and dance numbers you had executed as Billy beforehand?
It was lighter. We took plenty of time in seasons one and two to get the dance and vocals proper. I’m not a singer. I do the most effective I can. My bucket carries some water. It could be leaking. (Laughs.) However I get away with no matter I can. Then comes “There Will Come a Payday” [in season three], which Danny put a ton of thought into, in order that was rather a lot as properly. In season three, we had Bible Bonkers, and we received to actually the day beforehand — our unbelievable choreographers had provide you with all of this wonderful stuff for me to do, and I form of blew all of that up. I mentioned to them, “That is all so good. It’s so visible, it’s so humorous. It’s additionally so actual, and it’s nice for [all the other dancers], however Child Billy can not do these strikes.” I simply wanted them to create sufficient area for me to mimic Tina Turner. I wished to do the apex of “Proud Mary” for 20 seconds, and simply let me do my factor.
The identical factor occurred this season with Teenjus. They’ve to inform this story of two warring sides, after which they launch into this big dance. It’s so humorous. They’d all of it utterly choreographed, and the one huge X-factor was my participation. I got here and noticed what they’d provide you with, I received to take a look at the whole lot and everybody’s strikes, and we determined that every one I want was my circle. Let everybody else transfer out and let me simply keep in that circle, let me do my factor and let’s see what occurs. We did that, and past the beats the place we wanted to be in a sure place for the digital camera to select it up, nobody actually knew, together with myself, what was going to occur subsequent.
Have been you sporting your Uncle Child Billy wig beneath your Teenjus wig?
Yeah, in fact. I needed to! I had the Child wig on, the Jesus wig on, and man, it was simply so enjoyable. I knew after one take with these those who this complete factor was going to be so enjoyable and particular. Simply the message of this music, and even the title: “Flip the Different Cheek.” Doing a rap, and taking part in a teenage Jesus? It was the proper method to finish all of this for me.
The best way Danny architected all of this, that it’s on the opposite aspect of all that Child’s gone via, that he has this household that he cares for enormously — he loves his spouse, he loves his children and he loves his work. There’s this lovely dialog he has with Eli (John Goodman) the place he talks about how he’s in a season of his life the place it’s raining and he desires to catch each drop. It’s such dialog, so vital and so well-written. I really feel a bit like that proper now.
I used to be going to say, it sounds very very similar to the place you’re at.
I perceive it, with out being gross about it. I need to really feel and contact each a part of this expertise, and always remember it. Since you by no means know what’s going to occur subsequent. Nobody is aware of.
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Righteous Gem stones is now streaming in entirety on Max, together with The White Lotus season three.