His Hollywood career as a character actor spans decades, but this The White Lotus and The Righteous Gemstones star has decidedly become the internet's guy du jour — for more than one reason.
Who is it? Walton Goggins.
He is an award-winning actor whose notable roles include Fallout, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, The Shield, The Hateful Eight and Django Unchained. He's well known for portraying dark, eccentric and sometimes unhinged characters.
- In addition to being an actor, he's also the face of Walton Goggins Goggle Glasses, a somehow real sunglasses brand that launched after his recent GoDaddy Super Bowl commercial.
What's the big deal? Well, The White Lotus has once again kept up its years-long streak as one of the buzziest shows in primetime. But it was Goggins' amor fati in the Season 3 finale with on-screen girlfriend and costar Aimee Lou Wood that solidified him as one of the biggest breakout stars of HBO Max and creator Mike White's most successful TV show to date. (Plus, who could forget Sam Rockwell's monologue scene?)
- Immediately after the season premiered, the internet's take economy was flooded with perspectives on everything about Goggins: his smile, his hairline and the oft-explored difference in what men and women perceive as attractive. The chatter all led to one conclusion — people were gaga over Goggins.
- In Sunday's season finale of Lotus, it was revealed that Goggins' character was one of the mystery deaths of the show's climax. Back to back with his scene-stealing portrayal of evangelical pastor Uncle Baby Billy in Gemstones, it's safe to say this has been a big year for him.
What are people saying? The "Goggins Girlies" (as his fans have called themselves) have had plenty to say online. So has everyone else.
On playing Rick: Goggins and Wood set the internet ablaze this week after both sharing a series of cryptic Instagram posts about the relationship between their characters. While Goggins referred to it as: "Only ever a love story, hindered by unresolved, childhood trauma," Wood set the record straight in an interview with Variety, saying: "Both of them are crazy. I love them so much, but they are crazy, and they die because they're crazy. They don't die because it's a love story. They die because they're crazy."
On some of that alleged drama: Jason Isaacs, who plays the suicidal and homicidal hedge fund father of three, has been vocal about his experience on the show and spoke to The Guardian about a… tense work environment: "It was a theatre camp, but to some extent an open prison camp: you couldn't avoid one other. There are tensions and difficulties, I don't know if they spilled from on screen to off-screen, or if it would have happened anyway. There were alliances that formed and broke, romances that formed and broke, friendships that formed and broke."
ME: ...so not only did Walton Goggins not go to the finale, he and Aimee Lou Wood unfollowed each other on Instagram. On top of that, you have Jason Isaacs saying that people got close and then fell apart. You just gotta wonder.
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) April 9, 2025
MY WIFE (rubbing temples): The baby is crying.
Not now, sweetie. Mummy’s reading Reddit theories on Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood pic.twitter.com/HRV0Rs0yjf
— Charlotte Reynoldson (@charreynoldson) April 9, 2025
So, what now? While Rick is no longer grimacing on our screens, Goggins' portrayal of Uncle Baby Billy Freeman will continue until The Righteous Gemstones series finale in early May. That means there's plenty more time for people to obsess over his range and commitment to his roles.
- And for Goggins, it might be a refreshing change of pace. During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday, the actor shared that he was relieved to be moving on: "It just was in my body, and that sadness, for so long, you know. And it was really last night that I feel like I'm finally able to let it go."
Copyright 2025 NPR
