Transcript

Walton Goggins | SmartLess

From SmartLess · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 1 h 4 min · 14,076 words · 290 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Walton Goggins | SmartLess", an episode of SmartLess published December 15, 2025 (1 h 4 min, about 14,076 words). It mentions 44 people, works and ideas, including Mongolia, Fallout, Western Mongolia, Griffin Dunne, The Shield.

What this episode is about

Walton Goggins joins the conversation with hosts, engaging in a lighthearted and humorous discussion about his experiences and upcoming projects. The episode highlights the camaraderie and playful banter among the hosts as they navigate the dynamics of celebrity interviews and shared experiences in the entertainment industry.

Key takeaways

  • Surprise guest trick: When the unexpected makes things exciting, even mundane podcasts sparkle.
  • Sushi breakfast: Proof we’re all just wandering through a Wes Anderson film.
  • Guest hesitance paradox: Reluctant guests often become evangelists after basking in Smartless charm.
  • Dutch oven divorce: Sometimes the grounds for divorce are as unexpected as flatulence trapped under sheets.
  • Ernest Borgnine myth: Frequent masturbation linked to longevity—who knew preserving youth was so literal?

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: Fallout, Justified, Justified, The Hateful Eight
  2. – 20:00: Mongolia, Western Mongolia, CNN International
  3. – 30:00: Mongolia, Orient Express, Twin Otter
  4. – 40:00: Georgia Southern University, Jay Kelly, Kyle Chandler, LA Fitness
  5. – 1:00:00: CNN International, Fallout, Graham Wagner, Jonathan Nolan
  6. – 1:04:21: Mongolia, Justified, Justified, The Righteous Gemstones

Notable quotes from "Walton Goggins | SmartLess"

  • Justified, Vice Principles, Righteous Gemstones, and recently White Lotus, and Fallout. Dudes, here's Mr. Walton Gogggins Jr.
    about Fallout · at
  • And I took him on a two week horseback riding trip across Western Mongolia.
    about Mongolia · at
  • Before CO hit, I booked a Scotty thing where we were going to go on the Orient Express. It's like his dream to go on that train across Europe. And so that's like the most extravagant thing I would have ever done. But that's on a fancy.
    about Orient Express · at
  • And we were What's going to happen? And then like 2 hours later, we see a Twin Otter come and land and it's the Ministry of Natural Resources. And they picked us up. We…
    about Twin Otter · at
  • Now, all right. So, so, so you pack so you pack up from Georgia. you go to Georgia Southern University. I think I got that right. And you do a year there and you say, you want…
    about Georgia Southern University · at
  • Well I started working right in Atlanta. I started working like there was a yeah, like Kyle Chandler was this, in this group and my buddy Ray McKinnon and just there was there…
    about Kyle Chandler · at
  • Morning and I had an audition actually with a cast director by the name of Pam Dixon. And I sat I was there, 4 and 1/2 hours early and with my luggage and she said, What? You've been out here the whole time? I said, I.
    about Pam Dixon · at
  • Yeah. And do you remember where that was? Which LA Fitness that was?
    about LA Fitness · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Griffin Dunne — Person · 3 mentions
  • Kyle Chandler — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Ray McKinnon — Person · 1 mention · first at
    There was a yeah, like Kyle Chandler was this, in this group and my buddy Ray McKinnon and just there was there were there was a lot kind of going on in Atlanta at that time. And I got a few gigs there and one was a pretty big one, you.
  • Pam Dixon — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Kurt Russell — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Russell would say that. Kurt Russell did say that, he called somebody out who said I'm a pilot. And he's No, you're [ __ ] not. You're not a pilot. Tell me.
  • Jonathan Nolan — Person · 1 mention · first at
    It's a it's a big it's a you know what, we're we got to do this. you get a call from Jonathan Nolan. the first word out of your mouth is yes. right? read the scripts afterwards. And one of the writers was she wrote Tomb.
  • Graham Wagner — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Raider and she was a friend of mine, Geneva Dart Robertson and Graham Wagner. I knew through some friends. It was just a fan of his really. But it started it was all on the…
  • Geneva Robertson-Dworet — Person · 1 mention
  • Peter Dinklage — Person · 1 mention

Books & papers

  • The Shield — Book · 2 mentions · first at
    Jango Unchained, the Hateful Eight, and on TV's given us gold in shows like The Shield, Justified, Vice Principles, Righteous Gemstones, and recently White Lotus, and Fallout. Dudes, here's Mr. Walton Gogggins Jr.
  • Justified — Book · 2 mentions · first at
    The Hateful Eight, and on TV's given us gold in shows like The Shield, Justified, Vice Principles, Righteous Gemstones, and recently White Lotus, and Fallout. Dudes, here's Mr. Walton Gogggins Jr.
  • The Hateful Eight — Book · 1 mention · first at
    Films like Jango Unchained, the Hateful Eight, and on TV's given us gold in shows like The Shield, Justified, Vice Principles, Righteous Gemstones, and recently White Lotus, and Fallout. Dudes, here's Mr. Walton.
  • Murder in Mississippi — Book · 1 mention · first at
    And I got a few gigs there and one was a pretty big one, called Murder in Mississippi and it was nominated for like eight Golden Globes with a bunch of really great actors in it. And so I got an agent pretty quick, because.
  • Vice Principals — Book · 1 mention

Companies & orgs

Products & tech

  • Fallout — Product · 4 mentions · first at
  • The Shield — Product · 2 mentions · first at
    Jango Unchained, the Hateful Eight, and on TV's given us gold in shows like The Shield, Justified, Vice Principles, Righteous Gemstones, and recently White Lotus, and Fallout. Dudes, here's Mr. Walton Gogggins Jr.
  • Justified — Product · 2 mentions · first at
    The Hateful Eight, and on TV's given us gold in shows like The Shield, Justified, Vice Principles, Righteous Gemstones, and recently White Lotus, and Fallout. Dudes, here's Mr. Walton Gogggins Jr.
  • The White Lotus — Product · 2 mentions
  • Vice Principals — Product · 2 mentions
  • Twin Otter — Product · 1 mention · first at
  • Jay Kelly — Product · 1 mention · first at
    You know how do I right they say in there's this great line I just saw the movie Jay Kelly which is pretty good. George Clooney says, that he spent his whole life trying to get…
  • The Apostle — Product · 1 mention · first at
    And then I got this movie called The Apostle with Robert Dval.
  • The Unicorn — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Ask well like we could go through tons of your stuff. Hateful H Jango, Cowboys and Aliens, The Unicorn, like all those great things that you've done.
  • Tomb Raider — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Is yes. right? read the scripts afterwards. And one of the writers was she wrote Tomb Raider and she was a friend of mine, Geneva Dart Robertson and Graham Wagner. I knew through some friends. It was just a fan of his.
  • The Righteous Gemstones — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Get a critical mass to like it, and I knew it with a shield and with justified and with like the righteous gemstones or any of these things that you have an opportunity to do something transcendent really. if you you can play it safe.
  • Cowboys & Aliens — Product · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

Places & events

Full transcript with timestamps

Hey everybody, this is Walton Gogggins. I'm the guest on Smartless today and uh I can't wait to have a conversation with these three fellas. Only one of them know that I'm going to be here. So uh let's get this conversation started. Thanks for listening. Welcome to Smartless Smartless. Smart L.

Wait, whose guest is it today? Shut up, Sean. Jason's. You can tell by the attitude.

[ __ ] you, piece of [ __ ] Hey, look at Wills on the [ __ ] western with his smoking jacket on.

[ __ ] quilted selfstitched. What's it called? Santa Fe something. Yeah. Well, how much research? So Will's doing a a western uh thing.

Not a western. Um what is it? We kind of with Michelle Fefeifer. Yes. He's reprising.

By the way, our friend Michelle Feice um who said to me I said Mich and we and they said I said uh she goes I know we got to take a break so you can do your podcast.

She's being sort of kawaii. She said with a mocking tone. Yeah. And I said uh I said yeah

very good on the show. I said you were great on the show. We loved having you and and I hope you you know hope you got good response. And she said that people came out of the woodwork too and that people listened to it. So how about that?

That's nice. So people always say, "I don't want to do the show. I don't want to do the show." And then they're happy that they do the show. I don't know. I don't know.

Don't you feel like we just all slept together in the same cabin somewhere? Cuz we just did this like 10 hours ago.

I know. It was You mean like we just all Well, let's go back to Hang on. Why is everyone sleeping in a cabin?

Oh, cuz I'm dressed like I'm in a cabin. Well, no. Well, that we just all slept in the same house and then we just woke up for breakfast and then we started doing this again.

Yeah. Wait, what is your dream? You know what I mean? What was for breakfast? Sushi. I just had sushi.

No, you didn't. Yeah, I went to Zars. You know, Zar is really close. Oh, yeah. Famous for their sushi.

Zars is famous. It's true. I put a jacket on. I went next door and I ate some sushi. I mean, I brought it home. I brought it home.

Hey, you [ __ ] pig. Remember yesterday when you said I just had Chinese food? I thought to myself, self, that sounds really good. And so I ordered some Chinese for me last night and maple and we had Chinese for uh the first time in a long time. Was it good?

That's right. What did you have? I was wondering about your face cuz I I could see there was something you know

will um wait till you see my face after sushi lunch today. Yeah. Do you do you get um do you get like you know anything kind of naughty at when you order Chinese like breaded chicken or breaded something or is it all like bamboo shoots and you know

No, I we had uh a couple of chicken dishes in a noodle dish and there's some vegetables and you know cuz I said to Amanda I said you order baby. I don't want to don't let me see anything

uh on the menu cuz I'll order I'll order food. And she went like totally clean and everything

and it was good. And it was great. All right. Wait, will one of the grossest um images I ever uh witnessed in my life was going over to Jason's house and he's swimming in his pool in the backyard while gross.

Amanda is has a big uh hat on covering the sun. And from the pool on his floaty, he goes, "Honey, can we get some sushi for lunch?"

Oh, he's baking in the sun. It's so Hollywood. He facetimed me once floating on a floaty in his pool. I was like at and I just all I thought about was like

obviously Ernest Borg nine in the pool cuz he would by the way by the way by the way it just reminded me I forgot to tell you. So a little while ago I run into Griffin Dunn. Our old pal Griffin Dunn.

The great Griffin Dunn. The great Griffin Dunn. So, so Griffin Dunn tells you. So, he says, "I've been meaning to see I've been meaning to tell you this story. I've been meaning to tell you this story." He said um years ago uh when this is public record he [clears throat] said when uh um Ernest Borgny was getting divorced his wife cited one of the problems that she cited in in the court record

was of their differences whe that that she found that as a problem as as grounds for divorce was that Ernest Borgdine would Dutch oven her. He'd fart in the bed and pull the covers over her head.

Is that real? Is that real? I swear to God it's apparently and I looked it up. It's true. And she hated it and she was disgusted by it. And so he was like he was like I I got to tell Will I got to call. So he had my old phone number cuz I haven't spoken to him like in like four years or something and I switched my number. So he keeps he's sending me stuff and and he call he he he calls me and the guy goes hello and he goes hey listen you know this thing about Griff you know he goes hey will the guy and the guy says sort of says yeah and then he goes listen Ernest Borgn and the thing and the reason he got divorced in the Dutch oven this stuff and the guy goes this isn't Will okay he's changed his number and that is a disgusting why would you think I'd want to know this disgusting and

that's really funny [snorts] listener, as a backstory, you should know that um I I bought Ernest Borg's old house [clears throat]

years ago and uh Will has been writing me for years that what I've done is I've made a a bad purchase because

not a bad purchase. Well, when you consider that supposedly Ernest Borgny was a a a worldclass masturbator,

he he credited his longevity with the fact that he claimed that he masturbated every day. So I've always imagined them everywhere in the house leaning against the rail. I don't know what gooack. Yeah. And so it's in the it's in the pool too, Will. And there's also lots of farts stuck in the master. Okay, got it.

Yeah. And when Earnest Fortnite Oh, no. That is crazy. Welcome to Smartless. So So I've been meaning to tell you that.

All right, let me pull up my notes here. Oh, yeah. Organized. All right. I've written a little intro. Where is it? Here it comes. [sighs] What we've got here today.

So smooth. Oh god, stop shouting. Well, we're back from commercial. What we've got here today is an actor, an exciting actor. This guy knows how to put you on his back and carry you into the world of some pretty interesting characters. Some are funny, some are scary, some are dark, some are breezy. Whatever it is though, it's always a good ride. He's the kind of actor that gives you the grin of expectation and the feeling of relief that you're in good hands for wherever you're going. Guys, I write these myself. Okay,

we can tell. He was born in Alabama, raised in Georgia, moved to Hollywood at 19, and has brought us iconic roles in films like

Jango Unchained, the Hateful Eight, and on TV's given us gold in shows like The Shield, Justified, Vice Principles, Righteous Gemstones, and recently White Lotus, and Fallout. Dudes, here's Mr. Walton Gogggins Jr.

Now we get it started. I didn't know that you had to masturbate every day to to lead male's Navy.

You got to get the evil out if you want to stick around a [clears throat] while.

Damn it. I want to get that show. Why do you look so sharp today? You're sharp. You're in the middle of a junket.

But yeah, in the middle day I think three or four or something like that. Really?

Yeah. In it. But this is the first one for today. So I had a fresh doing okay. You got fresh for Fallout.

Yeah. for Fallout. Yeah. Yeah. This Fallout. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I And I knew I you know I know that there's a surprise guest and I saw Will the other night. I know.

And I almost keep it zipped. Well, I didn't know who was it. I didn't know who who like the host was.

Dude, you were so I had no idea. I mean, I was focused on your full length leather coat you were wearing and it was 100° in that room.

So was I because I was sweating. I lost 10 lbs that night. It was great. Hey, so here so here's the deal. Uh, hey MGT. I maybe we've just sniffed out what the maybe the the the hole is sometimes when every once in a while, Walton,

uh, a guest will come up to one of the three of us and say, "Hey, can't wait to see you next week." And it's just

or the rep or the rep or something like that. So, what I think is the guest needs to be told, Michael, who the uh, the hosting uh, fella is.

Yeah. Right. They're told, the rest are told. They're told. They are told. We're keeping that in. We're keeping that there in

the host. I mean, the the guest knows who the hosts are. This is smartless people. Your people didn't tell you.

Yes. This is more You know who we need to be speaking to are Walton's representatives cuz they got them on the phone.

They're in the room. Some of them are in the room right now. Do you hear that? Why didn't you tell me? Honestly,

it doesn't matter. It's no homework for the for the other two. What's up, fellas? What's up, bud? So, you're you're you're out there with the sandwich board for the Fallout.

I am. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We're just We're just starting. And how are Let's Let's just jump off right there. How are you enjoying

God? He loves to jump off. What's the pre What's What's the call? I love to jump off. I think

What's the precall on that? You got a 2hour, you know, for for the the makeup chair.

Yeah, man. It's like a It's like 3 hours, you know, before anybody else shows up. I mean, it got so bad. like not so bad. But we were we're we filmed the first season in New York.

Yeah. For some reason, honestly. Well, cuz you've got a place there, a beautiful place there in the Hudson Valley. They thought maybe we'll make it uh geographically uh attractive for Mr. Gogggins,

but but never saw it. Never left the city really. Uh except to go to Namibia. Um but but we're out here now and uh and we were out filming in the desert. I've got this van, you know, that that like so many other people like that

that you rent back to the company and you call it your dressing room. As a matter of fact, I do. Yes.

What? It's working. Here's what you do. What are you talking about? When when when you're a fancy pants like Walton and you're working all the time, the smart money is spent on like a motor home or a van or something like that yourself.

Yeah. And then you rent it back to the production as your dressing room. And so they give you the money for dressing room rental. So it pays for itself.

Yeah, it pays for itself kind of. I mean, it's a little harder in in New York than it is in in Los Angeles.

Yeah, parking is very expensive there. Parking tickets offset the rental fee. Yeah. But it but it did it wor it worked out, you know. It worked out. But so we we got to the point where we were kind of filming like out in the desert a a few times and I just stayed for the first time. I I don't know if you guys have ever done this, but I stayed at base camp. Everybody else like, you know, really kind of bad hotel rooms like in the middle of nowhere.

So you you you slept at the location? Yeah. At the location with a security guard. Everybody else would leave. And I just had my food.

Did you stick them for the hotel? For the hotel money, too. Give me that. Yeah. I got those $60. Come on.

I love So And you have And you have your shower and a little kitchen in there and everything.

Yeah. Everything. And it was only four steps to work, you know? I mean, like my call time was I mean, I had Yeah, I did shower there. As a matter of every single night. Yeah, of course. I mean, you got that water stuff on your face.

Jason would never You'd never use trailer water, right? Yeah. No, exactly. I don't want to smell like a hose.

I have filtered. I only use Well, you do strike me as a fella. You do strike me as a fella that is not afraid to walk barefoot on a hotel rug.

Uh, no. No. I walk barefoot across a desert. Exactly. You're a guy that you're much you're not a I'm a soft I'm a soft man.

Um you don't seem like a soft fella at all. You can handle quite a bit of of uh of uh you know taking away the creature comforts. You know what I just I had an experience where all the creature comforts were taken away like uh and I didn't realize how how how many they were going to take away. But I I took my I'm I'm a father. I know there's two other parents here and Sean bragging. I know that's Yeah. Hey, you know, I just have one, so I can kind of, you know, not take a job for a while. Um, but, uh, but I took him, he was, uh, 14, right, about to turn 15. It's like, okay, well, we, you know, this is a big transition kind of in your life, and we need to mark this occasion.

And I took him on a two week horseback riding trip across Western Mongolia. Yeah. No, it was a big deal. It was a big deal. He's 14. He'll be 15 in uh about six weeks. And it was just a uh you know an opportunity for us to kind of get out there and and see the world. And we're both obsessed with Genghaskhan.

Jason Jason would be stressed Jason would be stressed going to the first class lounge in Mongolia like that would

be actually where are you going to find where you going to where are you going to find a TV with CNN International or coffee or anything like that man? But where do you you again I you you do strike me as a guy who's who's so sort of you there's a lot of texture in your life. I I'm like I'm surrounded with thread count and things like that. I like Well, I like thread count too, you know. You know how to do both.

Mongolian uh cashmere. I mean, I like I like all of those things. But on this trip, here's what here's what happened. And other than maybe we'll get to like a parenting uh moment, you know, with my son, which was extraordinary. I hear that.

But but on day uh three, I mean, it took us it took us about like 72 hours just to get to the starting point, you know. Yeah.

And uh stopped and missed a flight, spent the night in Istanbul, which is, you know, hey, throw me in the Brier Patches. I love that place. And uh and we made it to Ulamatar. Then another plane uh landed in Western Mongolia. and then like an 8-h hour drive to just the starting point. And we got there and um and it was just the two of us. We're obsessed with that part of the world and uh and then we start, you know, start and we meet everybody. Nobody speaks English. We have an interpreter. It's it's just the two of us. Five horses. I mean, seven seven horses, five camels, and uh uh an interpreter, two horsemen, an eagle hunter, and a cook, man. Like, it's legit. It's a real It's the real deal.

And uh And we're both like in the tent the first night looking at each other going like, "We're here, man.

We did that. We did it." And the very first when we landed in Western Mongolia, my son looked at me and he said, "I've never been this happy in my life, Dad." Wow.

So, he's got that wonder lust like I do. So, cut to day day two, you know, something like it kind of happened and he, you know, was like, "Wow, this is,

excuse my language, this this really [ __ ] hard, Dad. Like, this is really this is hard. Like, this is really hard." and and he was, you know, he was missing his mom

and missing, you know, his life and and I said, "You know what, buddy? I I I understand it is hard. You're absolutely right about it's very very hard."

And uh and you can you can be in this place and I'll hold you and I'll love you and I'll and I'll and I'll and I'll I'll comfort you in this time or you can accept. He said he really wanted to go home.

And uh I said, "Okay, but I I'll hold you and I'll comfort you. You and for as long as you want. I mean for the next uh 12 days or

you can accept that this is your reality. Yeah. [clears throat] Right. You're not changing this reality

and you can let that fester and you can react to that or you can accept the fact that this is your reality and actually learn you know and spend and not waste that energy this emotion. It's up to you. And literally at 14 years old, he said, "I just need give me can I can I use the battery because there's no you don't have cell phones. We only have, you know, little bitty batteries with us or whatever." It's like, "You can use the battery if you use it up. Use it how whatever you want." He's like, "I just need to listen to some music."

Yeah. He did. He sat in the tent. He came out uh about 45 minutes later and he just looked up at me with this big beautiful grin on his face

with a plane ticket. No, I'm kidding. With a plane and he thumbs up like, "I'm good, Dad. I'm good." And then so it's like, okay, he he got through that. The next morning,

I'm on the horse. We're all leaving this whole caravan. It takes a whole process of getting ready to go. And and I'm I've been riding horses my whole life. My son is an unbelievable rider.

And my horse just trips. Uh-oh. And I went down. I wouldn't see I didn't see it coming. She rolled. Yeah. Well, she rolled on.

Now it needs to be held. Exactly. Well, this is what happened. She rolled on top of me. I and I was able to push her off thinking like, "Oh my god, I just broke my leg. That's it." And looked down. I was like, "Okay, legs fine. Everything's okay." And then I went to stand up and I immediately collapsed.

Something was wrong. Something was really wrong. And my son looked at me. He's like, "Dad, are you okay?" I was like, "Yeah, yeah, dude. I'm okay. I'm all right." I got up on the horse, rode for seven hours. Don't remember it. Had a couple of Advil. My wife threw in a bag. What I realized, you know, after a few days is I broke my rib.

Oh god. And then all of a sudden, I'm like taking the advice that I just gave my son because it's like, hey man, nobody's coming to get you. You know, you're in the middle of nowhere. There is no like helicopter coming to air vac you out of here, man. Meteac you out of here. You got to go. You got to ride. And so it was, you know, another nine days. Uh

where is that? Where does that kind of hurt? That is Dude. Dude, Jay, are you going to tell the story about now?

Are Jay, you about to tell the story about the when the guy didn't have your valet ticket at the governor's awards?

Yeah. And I'm like, "Hey, man. I'm You waited like 10 minutes for them to sort out your limo." You remember that?

A solid 10 minutes. And uh this happened two days ago. I had to talk to a bunch of people I didn't want to talk to.

My bags are itchy. Yeah. And we offered to hold them. Walton, where do you where did you get this kind of uh this kind of thick skin emotionally, spiritually? Um, did you have a couple of good parents?

Well, I mean I mean don't I think we all have thick skin like you know it's just a matter of being exposed to it. I look I'm a poor kid from Georgia and uh and my my parents divorced you know I was three years old.

Yeah. And uh and I I grew up around a bunch of you know when I say crazy you say it with love.

With love. Yeah. Yeah. uh curious and uh really colorful. I like that colorful uh southern women, you know, and um little bitty farmhouse, you know, outside of Atlanta. And uh yeah, we didn't have we didn't have anything. We didn't have like, you know, central air. I mean, we had like like a heater, you know, that uh that emitted I mean, like it is the is the cause of global warming like this one particular furnace that we had in our in our house. and uh and yeah, we just didn't have much and and so but we didn't we didn't want for much. And I don't know, I just think growing up that way.

Well, then what about all this all this privilege and luxury and and uh elitism that you're rolling around with every once in a while? You think it is it getting you soft?

I love it. Yeah. No. Uh do is it getting me soft? Yeah. I mean, I suppose. Yeah. Right. You get used Everybody has a new normal.

But you know how to categorize it, right? Yeah. I think so. Yeah. You're still able to go to Mongolia and get along.

Absolutely. Yeah. Can I ask you some questions about that story? That it's crazy.

I just can't believe I'm talking to the three of you, man. This is just because two of you I know and Sean I I I don't know. So, ask me anything.

We went to Sha Sean and I went to Stanbul once. Okay. What? Yeah, we went to Istanbul.

Don't make me at the Four Seasons there at the uh the old prison. That's true. That is true. That's true. But but like a week a week after we left it was like a big terrorist attack. Do you remember that?

I know. I know. Like a week after we got out of Wow. We'll be right back. And now back to the show.

Um so the the broken rib, how do you get through that many? This is going to be about ribs at Chin Chin.

Well, it's really interesting. You talk about No. How do I get through with a broken rib? Yeah. I get you through that many nine days. What do you do with the pain and how do you heal and like what do you do?

It's hard, man. He can do it. Well, no. I mean, like, but there's no like I I didn't know what was happening, right? I didn't I and I and it did, you know, I got to be honest with you, man. I felt like, oh, you know, maybe maybe this is internal bleeding. Maybe this is it. Like, I was really I I was scared, but I I tried not to show that to my son. And uh and I and I said that when we got to this particular the next location after that 7-hour ride

and I I I crawled into this tent. I mean, they took me off this horse, which by the way, I had the only horse uh in uh Mongolia um with uh uh Alzheimer's, man. Like she had no idea who I was. It's like, man, I've been writing you for eight hours a day, man. I didn't stop for lunch. I've only been gone for 20 minutes, man. Like, I'm here. Like, there's not a I don't have a scent. I mean, really.

But, uh, no, I crawled into this tent and I looked at my son and I said, "Listen, man. I'm going to take this Advil and we're going to see if I wake up with uh any relief." And, uh, and if it is, then I think, you know, we're going to be okay. Everything's fine. And I did. I I I fell asleep. I don't even remember falling asleep. I woke up, I don't know, 3 hours later or something like that. And I mar I felt marginally better, [clears throat] right? because I'd found a place that wasn't so painful.

And uh and then I I was able to make it out of the tent. I walked in. I mean, I'm in Mongolia. It's the best horse people in the world. You know, they had an idea of kind of what it was. And

and then while I was sleeping, they fermented a bunch of yak vodka. Sure. You know, like yak milk. And so I I just I I drank we killed a goat that day. Jesus Christ.

And uh and I drank this yak vodka. They just when we left there for the next thing, they we had these like two gallons of yak vodka. So I would just like in the morning, you know, like with coffee and follow it with a shot of yak vodka and a little bit of ad just a mouthful of goat.

Yeah, exactly. And it was and we had no refrigeration for that goat, but we ate that goat every way one can eat a goat. And it was

I can't think of anything I'd rather not do. Just watching Jason's face. Well, really, cuz I'm going to invite all of you on the next trip.

I mean, I I would I would be I I I would have an uncomfortable time just researching that trip online.

You know what? Okay, here. Okay, this is about the websites I'd have to go to to research this would have a font and a sort of a user uh interface that would be uh aesthetically unappealing to me and I let alone go to the country.

What's wrong with me? You know what? I I because [clears throat] my son was, you know, at this age, I said, and he's obsessed. I got a I got a smart kid, y'all. Like, he's a he's a very very very bright, very curious man. I can't even say young man because if you sit with him, you feel like you're talking to somebody. He's been

How old is he now? Well, he's still 14, man. Like, he turns he turns uh he's a New Year's Day baby.

So, this was a recent trip. Oh, man. I just got back like months ago man. Well, how's your rib now?

You know, better. I mean, I got I got I got I mean, I look, it was it's a it's such a long story, but kind of made it like kept going. And that day three, it took me that's when it like got really bad and it took me like an hour and a half just to get out of the tent. I'd wake up before my kid did just so that he didn't see me that way.

So, you'd go do this trip again? Oh, yeah. One with you guys, the four of us. You won't find me.

I'll drive you to the airport. That's it. Uh what what about like a safari safari in Africa? It's okay. Well, look, what's the what's the most adventurous experience that you've ever given yourself? Go ahead.

Yeah. Well, right during CO, like right before CO hit, I booked a a Scotty uh thing where we were going to go on the Orient Express. It's like his dream to go on that train across Europe. And so that's like the most extravagant thing I would have ever done. But that's on a fancy

Oh, you didn't wind up You didn't You have You ever done anything out in nature though, either of you guys?

Well, I did. I did a a day's worth of work schedule F on a Nightrider episode once. They had me in a honey wagon and honey wagons. Let me tell you something. If you're looking to stretch out and catch a nap at lunch, you're

Yeah, you are. In the forest. In the forest. Yeah, that's hard. Yeah, those those Well, you mean what? Your legs are straight up and they're they're flat. Your feet are flat against it. You got the xylophone wall that is just you're hearing everybody's business next door. I don't recommend it.

You remember your roommate? You remember who it was? Like some oldtimer. Bless his heart.

Not Jack Elum. It might have been Jack Elum. Uh I don't think Yeah. I I I I I would go if it was like you know they the kids say glamping like if it was

I could do I've done I did when I was when I was your son's I was 15 I did a three and a half week canoe trip up in northern Ontario and 1985 and uh we got dropped off on the side of a road and it was yeah three and a half weeks of canoeing and it was ended up being a whole thing and we were got way behind cuz the maps were so old so we had to portage every day for the last 8 days. for

and we had to get we had to get rescued by we paddled into this bay and we were like

we were we were we knew we were way behind and we had to meet a bus at a at a at a highway and we knew we were hundreds of kilome miles or whatever behind and we paddled

we paddled into a bay when we didn't you didn't see anybody and there was nothing there no roads up there there's nothing it was way up northern Ontario and we we got um we we paddled around this corner there was a cabin there we saw some people there and they dropped Sometimes they drop people, a lot of Americans offer fishing for a week and on a sea plane

and there's a couple there and we paddled up to their their dock and they're like, "Uh, are you boys okay?" By the way, I never let my we were all 15 and then the two guides were 18,

right? So the five five of us and then and then two guides and we're like, "Um, we're we're kind of in trouble." And at which point the plane that had that worked for that company drove by and saw our canoes and came and he landed and he's and asked us what the situation. He said, "Okay, well, we'll get in touch with somebody." You know, this is way before cell phones and all that [ __ ] And we were like, "What's going to happen?" And then like 2 hours later, we see a Twin Otter come and land and it's the Ministry of Natural Resources. And they picked us up. We strapped a couple of our canoes to the pontoons and we and we took off and we got out of there. The craziest thing was at the end of this bay there were these two small islands really close together and on each island was a a wing. And we're like, "What's that?" And they're like, "Oh, back in the 50s a plane tried to take off. It

was too heavy and it didn't make it. that sheared off both wings. Oh my god. And we're like, are we okay? And then the guy's like, you know, bush pilot. He's like, oh yeah, we'll be fine. Hey, no, no worries.

Wow. Were you scared? Did you get did you do you remember that being about day about day four of us being way behind? Uh, we started to get a little bit scared. It was really we we were it was just we were out there and we was like nobody knew where we were. And

so anyway, I couldn't eat when they broke for first team. I had to wait till background I had to eat when background ate and I'm like guys I've got line I'm saying a couple of lines today and they're like no we're going to want you to hold my stay and holding and then we'll let you know we got to get first team through first and then

I had to eat went back round eight but I made it I made it you made it out oh you look great Jay

Walton you grew up in Georgia what tell can you say God it's hot there anything specific specifically from that area that has shaped you into the kind of actor you are today. I mean, I guess you sort of you basically did season you a bit, right? You

I was going to say this. I don't know if it's Georgia, but also the way that you live your life and you're talking about the stuff you do. You have such an unbelievably freewheeling style and I mean that is the greatest as such a compliment. You bring something to every sort of role that you do. You bring this kind of Yeah. this life like this kind of free willing thing that I that is so [ __ ] alive and fantastic every time you light it up, man.

And I wonder if that is because of your background dude. He's been exposed to stuff, you know? He's got things to draw on.

Look, that's that's a lot coming from this this group of men because I am uh such big fans of all of you as as as you know. I mean, Sean, you don't, but I am. Well, that's very I you know, this is what [sighs]

I I I I genuinely live every day like it's my last day. And and what I'm what I mean by that is, you know, I I I know what it's like to be hungry. I know what it's like to be cold. I know what it's like to be uncomfortable. I know now what it's like to wear really nice clothes. And people say, "Well, like cuz I've had this this beautiful and to wear Well, that's very kind of you say, but but I, you know, it's like, well, why why do you think these people are letting you wear these clothes?" I said, "Because I'm wearing them like I'll never get to wear them again." And that's the truth. But you know, we have a fight.

And I mean that. And that's okay, too. We have You do have an allergy to buttons, though. And just like Justin's got an allergy to sleeves. And what is wrong with you two? You've got You're in a fight with the clothes. You're not You're not Hey, man. I'm taking my cues off Richard Gear. I'm taking my I'm taking my cues. I You know what? I did a movie with Richard, man. I did a movie with Richard like uh this is this a few years ago. and uh and and and it was uh with with Dinklage and um

and uh and and and and Bradley and uh uh and we were sitting there and it was really really tired. It's a long long day. And uh and I looked at him and I said, "Uh, man, I'm I'm so tired. I'm I'm really tired. You must be tired, Richard." And he said, "You know what? You're right. I am. I'm I'm very tired." He said, "But you know the difference between you and me?" I said, "Uh, no, man. What's the difference?" He said, "Tomorrow morning when I wake up, I'll still be Richard Gear, motherfucker."

And you won't. Wow. You [ __ ] Man, you're exactly right. You will be. So, it's okay. You're okay.

That's really funny. Now, all right. So, so, so you pack so you pack up from Georgia. Um, you you go to Georgia Southern University. I think I got that right. And you do a year there and you say, "You know, you want to know what? I think I know what I want to do." So you you jump What? Did you ride horseback from Georgia out to Los Angeles?

Yeah, I did. I rode a horse. Yeah. So you I've seen this entire nation. Yeah. I took you the northern route then came back and then took the southern route to get to LA.

So you pull into to to Los Angeles there at 19 and years old. What what you start you start the process of of of chasing the dream and was it was it a difficult thing to get an agent and get auditions right away? What did you have a a colorful first job to sort of pay the bills during this process? What was it was that first year?

Well, I you know I I was I was look, we all have our stories, right? I mean, there was no way I was ever going to go to New York. A vertically integrated city was way above my pay grade. I I couldn't handle that. uh living life.

Wait, wait, sorry. Cuz you you thought New York would be uh too expensive to live in.

Well, too expensive but so radically different, right? And I and I and I than you know than the urban that I kind of grew up. Well, not sprawl. No, I grew up kind of like you know in in in the country with space. A little bit a little bit of space.

A big family, little family. No. Well, I mean I I you know, at the I mean I have a half brother now, but at at the time I mean I was really kind of raised only child. Uh, and it was my my mom and her three sisters

and my grandmother and uh my cousin who's like, you know, she's my my aunt's daughter, like my sister and uh and then all of these crazy crazy uh southern hippies, you know, like all of these guys. I had just a lot of people that kind of came through my life,

right? So New York was too much of a of a cultural shock potentially. So, well, you know, maybe on some level, absolutely. But I and I also think that I was just really attracted to the to the west, you know, and the idea I, you know, growing up in a place where

the the the biggest view that you that you have is a football field, right? Because of all the pines and all the rest of it. I I just I I just love the idea of seeing from miles in in any [clears throat] direction. And and so yeah, I I left, you know, at 19, you know, drove across country and uh with my my dad, believe it or not, and you know, and I had, you know, a number, but I watched I watched I mean, I'm not without people in my in my life that were in this business in the sense that my my aunt was a an actress in the theater and and her husband, my uncle.

So, I grew up kind of watching them on stage and uh but you know, I I really didn't I mean, I I like doing this, you know. know I mean I I did like do I didn't know this is what I was going to do for the rest of my life. I just really wanted to see the world.

But when but when you landed day one what do you do like how do you what was your plan?

Well I started working right in in Atlanta. I mean, I started working like uh there was a yeah, like Kyle Chandler was this, you know, in this group and my buddy Ray McKinnon and and just there was there were there was a lot kind of going on in Atlanta at that time. And uh and I got a you know, a few gigs there and and one was a a pretty big one, you know, called Murder in Mississippi and it was uh was nominated for like eight Golden Globes with a bunch of really great actors in it. And so I I got an agent pretty quick, you know, uh because I'd come out

and they said, "Come on out." Well, kind I mean, yeah, I kind of that I mean, I don't know. They were kind of reluctant. I don't know why they took me to be quite honest with you, but I you know I didn't I didn't know I mean I had a guy's phone number and and I when I first got dropped off

at the Oakwoods no I got dropped off at this woman I met I worked with her husband and uh and she was like a manager and I actually put this like on my in version of it on my Instagram but I got dropped off at this apartment woman her husband picked me up and uh I got back to her apartment like right off like Sierra Bonita and Hollywood Boulevard and uh and you know and she asked me to sign this paper and I said I I just I don't really know. I don't think I should do that. I don't even know what I am. And she said, "Well, you know, if you don't sign it, then you have to leave."

Mhm. I said, "Well, I don't I don't have anywhere to go." Like, and she said, "Well, you got to figure that out." I said, "Well, can I just spend the night? I'll be out of here first thing in the morning." She said, "Yeah." And I left, you know, uh first thing the next morning and I had an audition actually with a a cast director by the name of Pam Dixon. And uh and I sat I was there, you know, 4 and 1/2 hours early and with my luggage

and uh and she said, "What? You've been out here the whole time?" I said, "I yeah, you know," she said, "Well, just bring your stuff inside. Just hang out." And I did and didn't get the job, but uh afterwards I had a phone number from a guy that I'd worked with and I ran into at a Rio Bravo in Atlanta and I called it and he answered the phone, a pay phone, right? And he said, "Yeah, man. I'll come pick you up. You can stay with us."

And and that was kind of it. That was the beginning. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, I had 300 bucks, you know, in my pocket. And um

and then got a job like everybody else, you know. What job? What were you doing?

Uh LA Fitness. Sure. Um uh you know, 5 a.m. to 9 9:00 a.m. shift making four. Were you checking folks in or were you a personal trainer?

Checking them in, man. Locker locker keys. Yeah. Yeah. Like there was nobody. Yeah. And uh

do you remember where that was? Which LA Fitness that was? Yeah. Oxnard and uh Cold Water.

Oh, in the valley. the rocket ball courts. I used to play rocket ball in there.

As a matter of fact, they did. Yeah. Did they have that? Yeah. They must have on the LA River. Right on the LA River.

Would you play there with uh with Schwarz? Yeah. Johnny Schwarz. Johnny Schwarz. Would you guys play there?

He'd kick my ass every day. Every day. And where were you living at that point? I mean, were you living at the top of the Sunset Tower? That's where he kept his Porsche.

That's where you started your journey in Los Angeles. Yeah. Listen, I will say, Walton, it's not surprising. Again, I'm going to get down to just what I know from you over the years and that you that this stuff opened up because you come at life with such a great positive attitude and it is a really great, not to get too weird, but it is a great example of you come out, you just you make a call, you're open, you're you're you're very positive, and you kind of get in life what you put into it. And you it's almost like I I think that that lesson again that you you gave your son I mean this is all part of a bigger if you kind of take a broader view that you've just got this great vibe of and again I just I I it's no surprise to me man it really

we want to hang out with you say well I mean look look we all have our path right and what you know how did we how did we get that first job how do we get a second job how do we get a third how do how a decade later 20 years later I mean hell we have I've been at this 30 30 something years, 35 years. And uh and I and I I you know, I don't I just don't compare myself to anybody else really.

That's so crucial, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. And I've got like we have a lot of friends in common. I've got a lot of friends who are a lot more successful than I am and a lot that aren't. And uh and and but it's there it's the same, right? It's it's just it's

we're all the same. Yeah. Yeah, it is. I mean, we really are. It it is uh uh Sean Sean was saying something interesting because we were talking about this thing I went to the other night and Sean said isn't it funny that no matter what we at a on a certain level nobody thinks that they've made it. I don't care who you are cuz you're always trying to right you're [clears throat] always there's no like people like oh you made it like I haven't made it. I'm like thinking about you know how do I right they say in uh there's this great line I just saw the movie Jay Kelly which is pretty good. Uh George Clooney says, you know, that he spent his whole life trying to get something that he thought he really wanted and then he got it and then he realized,

oh wait, I it's not over. I got to now I got to keep it. You know, it's like so no matter where you are, even if you think you're there, you still got to work on trying to keep it if if you care to, you know.

Do you think they'll put your quote? Do you think they'll put your quote on the poster, JB? Uh J Kelly, pretty good.

Pretty good. Why not? On the back. Yeah. On Sunset Boulevard. You know, there it is.

It was pretty good. This guy I highly recommend. Can I ask Can I ask you gentlemen something? Do you ever do you uh do you get insecure walking into a room? I mean yes in general, right? I live my life in the moment like Yeah. Right. Yeah. I

walking into a room walking into a room with you know like like an event or like a bunch of actors or writers or directors or you know like like something affiliated with this time. I don't get I don't get insecure about status because I don't care about it. I get insecure about carrying a conversation.

Carrying a conversation. Yeah. Really? You're an incredible conversation. No. No. That but but but the work that it takes for me to get up to being a good conversationalist is exhausting.

It's exhausting. Yeah. It's exhausting being interested in somebody you don't you're sitting next to at a table with placards with your name on it next to somebody you don't know and you have to like

start from scratch. Hey, what's going on? Like, you know what I mean? So, I get anxiety about that, but not so much about like status. I don't care about status.

Not not anymore. Weirdly, I think it's a I think I I think that I'm just naive and I don't know what it is that I'm blessed with that. It's, you know, they're just like

I just don't have any sense. Yeah. I had a really cool uh I was doing this interview thing the other day. it's going to come out. But that um and I I had the pleasure of sitting next to Bonito Del Toro and uh somebody I would like to sit next to.

Yeah. And the woman said u she said you know this idea of imposttor syndrome. She said do you ever

um do you guys ever have that suffer from imposttor syndrome? And she said bonicho. And he goes what is that? [groaning]

And I was like oh man that was so dope. And she goes no you know that thing. And he goes I I don't know what that is. I was like, "Fuck."

Yeah, that would make me feel even more of an impostor. But it was so dope. Be over the edge.

But but it but but at the same time it was so cool because it was such a great sort of lesson of like you don't have to, right? Like you can you can try to you can kind of let that go and he has it naturally in in the most beautiful way, but like oh yeah, you don't have to have it, you know?

No, that's right. Yeah. Yeah. you know, I I've gotten to where like, you know, I've just gotten [sighs] it scares me a little bit, you know, uh but I've gotten really comfortable at work.

Like it it doesn't you know what I mean? And I and I and that's not a a feeling that I'm um I'm I'm comfortable with. I I like to be uh when I'm working, I'm not very social. I'm alone. I'm just off doing my thing. And uh and then you you kind of come in. I don't I don't I don't hang out and and just small talk. I I don't have the energy. I'm like you, Sean. I get exhausted.

Yeah, me too. I'm an introvert for sure. Yeah. But you know what? David David, you know that famous David I just looked it up. The David Bowie quote. It's I love this. It's You probably know it. Aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been.

Yeah. So all of this stuff that we're talking about, I think the older you get, the more you're like, I can walk into a room cuz who gives a [ __ ] I I just had I just had an extra I just had an extraordinary experience and who knows if it'll translate but I am up here doing this thing

in Where are you by the way man? I'm in I'm in I'm outside of I'm in Montana in both outside of Bosezeman Montana.

He's in the back of an In and Out and and I'm doing this I had the pleasure of doing these scenes with uh the great uh Michelle Feifer Jay what do you call her? M5 mish mish mish

and uh and she's so brilliant and and I just had this moment and I think it's age. I don't know if it's age or what it is and I could just say it honestly that I was just there doing this thing and we're shooting on we're literally shooting on the edge of this river that's out there that's beautiful. It's just the the what I'm looking at is insanely beautiful. And then snowcap mountains in the in the distance and the thing

and uh we're about to go and I'm like, what am I doing in this scene? And what am I doing? And I just went like,

oh man, I literally was like, anything can happen. Just enjoy it. Just be right here.

And then it was just like unreal. Like Yeah. Of just like letting go. And I I don't think I could have done it as a younger man. And I think that as I'm getting older, I've just let go of so many hangups.

Yeah. because well because you asked that. Do you have that because you asked us that. Do you have are you still

Well, I I guess my what I was kind of getting at just to hear your your experiences.

Yeah. I I I think that I I I just carried so much of the people that I've gotten to play. You know, it's they're pretty lonely. You know, they're, you know, nefarious and uh they got a lot going on and uh they're under a lot of a lot of pressure uh mentally and emotionally for the most part. And and so I quite enjoy kind of being in that in that in that state in that place especially you know at work but but you know something you know happened recently where

where I similar but I I just showed up like yeah hi how are you and I was just not and I and I was there I I I'd read the script 250 time I know I know what's happening but I all of a sudden I just I didn't need that anymore. I mean, it's like the difference between, you know, your 20s and your 30s and then for me becoming a father at 39, so let's call it 40s, and then learning how to be a parent. Oh god. Oh god. Now I'm a parent. I'm in my 50s.

And I'm And that's okay. I'm a I know how to be a parent. I feel like I I I I know how to tell stories and I just I enjoy it more than I've I've ever enjoyed it. So, it's just a new experience for me,

right? Like I I don't I don't have that. though right? It is so free, man. Yeah, I love that.

It is. It's so free. I love it. We'll be right back. And now back to the show. Well, do you feel that um cuz you know, we're we're we do this thing where we're playing people and I think I think all four of us are interested in playing people that that don't have it all together. people that are that are that are somewhat broken in an interesting way and vulnerable and human and have flaws and all that stuff.

And [clears throat] have you have you felt like you've you know, we're talking about as we get older, we get better, right? Just just just as people. Um

so do you think that that's at odds with playing characters that don't have it all together? like as we're starting to get our [ __ ] together as we get older, um it's sort of at odds with playing characters that are that are a little bit broken and then in fact a as you get uh more and more successful maybe, you know, as we were joking about earlier, you kind of get a little bit soft because things are sort of privileged around you and luxurious and stuff. Is it do you do you do you fight that sort of embrace of success? Does it go against what you like to to to live in?

You know what? That's a that's a that's a great question and I would ask you all to answer that question too. But because I think we're told a lie, you know, uh early on that, you know, you got to you got to struggle. You got to you know, you got to live in it. You have to be you have to be [ __ ] up

to play [ __ ] up people. And the truth is, no man, you don't. You can just be really evolved and and and and not create distance between yourself and that experience. actually really empathize,

yeah, with with these people. And and I think that's where I've gotten to in my life. And I outside of I I generally empathize with human beings. I I believe that all of our paths are by nature narcissistic. We cast oursel as the uh antagonist and the protagonist in our own story and we just watch how we interface with the [ __ ] world. When you step outside of that, when you really step outside of that narcissistic DNA quality of survival,

all of a sudden the world just becomes it's just easier. Life is easier. It's just calmer and and I'm I'm calmer. And and I and I feel that happening kind of in uh in my professional life. It's it's happened. God, I I I had such a hard time. I watched you guys on Kimmel, you know, the three of you on Kimmel

and and uh and I and I I listened I saw you Sean and I saw like how far, you know, you sat and kind of speaking about your anxiety and and I I had I I still have it on you on some level, but I had it. I really had it. And

it's also a little bit of a superpower, but yeah, it is a superpower. And it and and and getting ready to walk into a room for people that experience that, it's like you gota, okay, I'm gonna show because I show up for [ __ ] You know what I mean? I show up for a conversation and nothing gets halfass. I I show up for everything. And if you put that much into it, if you care that much about it,

well then then and it's not performative. It's not a performance, but you're it it's it takes a lot from you. And on the other side of that, you know, you got to just be alone and quiet and kind of do all of that. And I I envy people that can just

just [ __ ] move through it, man. without expending like a ton of energy and still be just as charming and all the rest of it.

I know because there have been times when I have been uh less insecure and really kind of just cruise through it and not and I just don't feel like while I might have a lesser level of anxiety, I just don't feel like I'm participating as much. Like I don't feel like I'm I'm feeling the day as much. I I like being

insecure in as many things and situations as I can. I just feel like I'm I'm a little bit more eyes open, ears open, heart open if if I am like I I worry when I get too comfortable.

Um anyway, um All right. So So you uh so you you you come out to LA, you start working. Um, do you remember what that job was that gave you a little bit of like a, "Oh, wow. I think I might be able to make a living at this." Some people have raised some eyebrows. Um, I'm getting some calls. Was Was there one that kind of initiated the momentum that that you've you've kept going since then?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, very specific, right? Uh, we've all had many uh before this happened and after this happened events in our in our life. And uh, and I I valley parked. I sold cowboy boots. Then I became a personal trainer at the same gym that I started this thing. I did all of that.

And um and then I I got this uh movie uh called The Apostle with Robert Dval. Okay. And uh you know, he had so good. You were so good. And I love that movie. You're great. You just But I was I was 24 years old.

And it was [clears throat] uh through the process of kind of, you know, uh telling that story and uh and the relationship that I I had with with Bobby on the other side of that that I felt like, okay, I can you know what, man? cuz I I always were and I I worked as soon as I got here. I was very very fortunate and I and I you know poor kid Georgia I just squirreled it away always and just lived off whatever I made doing whatever job that I I was doing. But at that point, I thought, well, you know what? I'm just going to I'm not going to do that anymore, and I'm and I'm just going to, you know, focus kind of on on this. And um

and then, you know, I don't think people really knew what to do with me because on the other side of that, thinking my manager who was actually sitting here was was my manager then. And uh and she, you know, leaned in my ear or somebody that she was with leaned in my ear and said, "Hey man, your life's about to change."

That's good. Because it was a Toronto Film Festival or whatever. And then on the other side of it, people just thought, well, this this guy's just [ __ ] from there. They just like he's just a local hireer, you know.

Oh, they thought you you weren't even like that you weren't even like an actor. You were a real

Yeah, exactly. It's like, okay, what a compliment. Well, I guess it is to Bobby Dval, you know. That's what that's what he says. But, uh, but and then I just kept cruising, you know. I just said yes in life more than I said no. And and I, you know, my 20s weren't under a microscope. I I I just got to do my thing. Yeah.

But now, but now when you walk down the street, you're getting stopped. Yeah. And you have you have been for for for years. But um how is what's your relationship with with that? Um do you feel like those are two separate people? The the the person that the public uh recognizes, wants to talk to, or have you have you have you been able to incorporate that into what seems to be an incredibly authentic person from the very beginning? you've you've been very tapped into keeping it real, not being full of [ __ ] no artifice, um, no veneer, uh, yet the public basically has a say on who they think you are as well.

And and sometimes fame, there's there's a there's a there's a there's a discomfort with with with um with merging those two things. Have you have you made a fan of that, a friend?

Oh, you know what? I honestly and I and I whether you like it or whether you don't, whether you like me or you don't like me, I am me and I I am me uh privately. I am me publicly. Anybody that knows me very very well listening to this podcast would say,

"Yeah, he's the the exact same." And when like, you know, interfacing with people on the street,

this is no [ __ ] This is not No, because because editing yourself everywhere you go is exhausting, too. Yeah, because the person who's not full of [ __ ] who's no BS, would would be at a dinner table and enjoying your conversation with your friend and then a fan would come up and ask for a picture or something. The person who's like truly no [ __ ] would say, "Hey man, I'm having dinner. I can't do that right now." But like this is like an example.

Russell would say that. Kurt Russell did say that, you know, he called somebody out who said like, "I'm a pilot." And he's like, "No, you're [ __ ] not. You're not a pilot. Tell me about this thing." But I'm that's not my person that's not my personality. That's not where I I come from. That's not how I was raised. And for me, and I and I and I and I and I really mean this, man, when I'm when I'm stopped on the street. Yeah. I mean, like, it it it's it's been a lot. And it has been a lot over the last two or three years. But but honestly, man, I feel like I can provide for my family.

It just means that somebody else is going to hire me. And uh and we have a public job. That's part of the job is to

It is part of the [clears throat] job. And and I and I and I genuinely love meeting people. I I don't I don't I don't um No, I I I just I don't I live my life differently in in in that way. And I and I don't [clears throat] I never meet a stranger.

I I like, you know, even where we live now, which is radically different than where we've lived our entire life. You know, I wasn't my friends are uh the painter and the plumber and and then and the artist and all the rest of it. But that's man, listen, I I was raised in a household with crazy [ __ ] southern hippies. Crazy like like insane.

And uh with love. With love. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. But certifiably in in insane in the best way. And like a Christmas at our house, like with you know, one little heater or whatever. More often than not, somebody would go to the store and then whoever went to the store would come back with three or four people and that would happen to a couple people come back. So then all of a sudden like in a like this, you know, family of whatever, there would be like 25 people sitting in our around our Christmas tree that were, you know, when we had food and then we would go because we didn't have gifts for them. We would just go pick out, you know, I remember giving my Atari like pitfall game to somebody just like my mom said, just go in there and pick out something you can give away.

And uh and I went in and wrapped it up in a Christmas present. I'd just been playing it like like all morning and you know, and gave it out. Like that's that's kind of what we did. And and that's you know, I I don't know. I It's just kind of how I live my my life.

I love that. Wait, I I just wanted to ask well like you know, we could go through tons of your stuff. Hateful H Jango, Cowboys and Aliens, The Unicorn, like all those great things that you've done.

You feel shield and and uh anyway on and on, but only because it's the big recent massive thing is White Lotus, right? Yeah.

Is like you were so [ __ ] great in that and it was such a great season and it the world watches that show so massive.

That must have been different. And you got to work with your buddy Sam Rock. Well, our pal Sammy Rock. That must have been fun. But shooting in Thailand must have been Well, maybe not for you. You probably loved all the the [ __ ] hot sweaty conditions, right? Lots of open toed shoes. Yeah. Just like

I went to see like Okay. Like in the provided your own wardrobe. I went I went to I went to that part of the world uh 18 years ago. And it's a long story. I've said it so I won't repeat it here, but I went all over Southeast Asia. Once I got to a certain point in my life after studying like I didn't I didn't party really in my 20s you know I I just I was hyperfocused on what it was I was asking myself to do. I didn't go to I mean I you know I went to um

uh well wall well the brown derby right or the yeah yeah the brown you know all the places over like over in Los Felis with uh Elaine and what's the name of the place? Yeah. Anyway, I did all of that and um but barely. And so then when I turned 30 years old and you know we were on the second year of the shield or after the first year of the shield, I just said, you know what, this is my time now. I'm just going to finish a job and I'm going to take off and go somewhere in the world and just uh hang out and get to know that place. And I and I've done that now, you know, family and with family

for God, I mean I mean I'm 54 years old, so I've been doing that for 24 years. It gives you it gives you so but it just gives you such a richness of life that's not just about the the doing this stuff. It gives you real world experience that Sean and I talk about this all the time.

Yeah. Like having that kind of real world experience and getting out in the world is important, man.

How do you do that? How do you how do you find something new to bring back to the table?

I mean I try to do that too. I try to I think I think is what Will just said. I have to force myself to get out of the house. So, so I have

I'll put on CNN International, you know, and I'll just uh I'll see how how it's all going.

I like to go places, man. Yeah, you got even like the dumbest thing I need to do. When Jason asked me to go to the Dodgers game, I was like, yeah. And by the way, never been like to a Dodgers game and like just those seats. But just as far as an experience goes, it's like, wow, I have that in my brain now.

Yeah. And you didn't take the 101, you took sunset. Although, that was new for you, too. That's an adventure. It was an 18 ining game.

I'll take the five. Man, it was great though. Um, uh, now what about to talk before we let you go, uh, tell us about Fallout. Tell us about So, you're you've you've made a friend of the three-hour makeup session. Uh, it's certainly worth it. My god, what an incredible job they do with you. Um, uh, and

it's a it's a big it's a you know what, we're we we got to do this. You know, you get a call from Jonathan Nolan. You know, the first word out of your mouth is yes. You know,

right? read the scripts afterwards. And uh one of the writers was she wrote Tomb Raider and and she was a friend of mine, Geneva Dart Robertson and uh and and Graham Wagner. Um I knew through some friends. It was just a fan of his really. But but but it started it was all on the page. I didn't know like how we would how they would tell this story.

Yeah. And um and and it was a lot like day one was was really intense thinking like, man, I'm too old for this [ __ ] Like I don't know how I can I can I can pull this off. It was in New York and it was like 99 degrees with a heat index of like 106 and uh good.

And then we kept Go ahead. No, just say your makeup like it's like you don't have a nose.

No. So how do they I do have a nose. I know. But how do they do how do they get rid of your nose?

You know I uh they it's it's called uh CGI. Oh, I didn't know. I thought it was like uh Yeah. Okay.

Still there. Yeah. Yeah. They do that like in uh in in in the post. So people see me when I when I do my nose. Actually, I just saw these uh screeners that they send out to everybody. And one scene uh they didn't do the effects on yet for the credits and it's like, "Oh, [ __ ] That's my nose."

Now, do you have to put do you have to act with like a tracking mark on the tip of your nose?

Yeah. It doesn't affect me cuz I can't see it. But [clears throat] is it like a little X or a dot or a green?

It's five dots or four? One, two, three, four. Four dots. I'll send you a photo. Oh my god.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, we we did it, man, and it and it and and it came out and it was really wellreceived and and became, you know, one of the biggest shows in the in the in the world. I mean, it truly is a global

uh experience. I mean, this game uh you know, resonates so deeply with so many people all over the world and we got an opportunity to do it again and uh and and jump right back in there. I've been on a on a on a long run.

One of the best pilots I've ever seen. First episodes I've seen. It's it's amazing.

Thanks, man. Did you shoot the second season back in New York, too? No, no, no. We're We're in in LA now, man. We're We're here. Yeah. And then And it feels It feels good to to be back here and to work with an LA crew, you know, to see all of these.

So rare to work here. This is so so tough here in this town right now. But it feels great to look out and go, "Yeah, we're back home." And so we did it. We did season two. And look, we've all been down these roads a number of times. And you know that if you get this first season, if you can get a critical mass to like it, and I knew it with a shield and with justified and with like the righteous gemstones or any of these things that that you have an opportunity to do something transcendent really. I mean, if you if you you can play it safe

or you can go for it. And uh and that's what you know, everybody did. And and we're, you know, it's about it's coming out on December 17th and uh

on Amazon. Yeah, man. And we're we're really really really excited about it. Well, you always go for it. You always go for it. And as I said at the top, you you never drop us. You take us with you. You carry us safely uh on these great creative journeys that you that you take us on.

Dude, what was the show that you and Danny did that killed me? That was the other one before.

I know. Vice principal. Vice dude, dude. So good. Well, all you guys do killed me in that, dude.

Thanks, brother. I I would I' I'd give a limb to to work with you one day, buddy. So, my my fingers are crossed for the same same.

This will have to do until then. Thank you so much for coming on this show and talking to us.

Well, and you're just a legend, dude. You are. I'm I'll buy you a glass of whatever you want whenever I see you next. And uh I I look forward to

Just take me on a horseback ride. You know, I got anything. What if what if I what if I knocked what if I what if you woke up with me in Mongolia

in a tent in Mongolia? I would need a I would need a few batteries. It'd have to be a lot of batteries in there.

Okay, man. All right, y'all. So much everybody. Great to see you, dude. All right, I'll see you soon.

Bye, bud. Okay. Yeah, the slam. He slammed it. He did it. Love him. Yeah. Well, I I feel a little I do feel a little seasoned just just even talking to him. I don't need to go to Mongolia just yet.

I know. And by the way, those are the kind of guys like obviously we have tons and tons of favorite episodes. This is one of my favorite ones. Like that guy I could talk to forever. That he's so

How great is his vibe? That's a good dude. He's just his lust for life is just incredible and infectious.

Wouldn't you want to invite him over? It's funny how he talks about walking in a room. Every time he walks in a room, he lights it up and it's genuine. It's it's not put on. That's so funny to hear him say that. As I said, I saw him the other night. He just comes in and he just has this like de viv, as we say.

He's got sparkle fairy. He does have sparkle. When he was talking about when you were talking about your experience, the outdoor thing, I wanted to tell my story about my camp. When I went to camp, let's hear it. As a as a kid, I went to music camp at um

uh Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan, and it was in the middle of the woods, and uh that's my only kind of outdoor long-term woodsy kind of thing. Anyway, who cares? H Yeah. But after two weeks of being in a camp in the middle of the woods, I was ready to say

bye bye. Smartless. Smart less. Smartless is 100% organic and artisally handcrafted by Rob Armjarf, Bennett Barbco, and Michael Grant Terry. Smart less.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Walton Goggins | SmartLess"?

Walton Goggins (Guest), Jason Bateman (Host), Will Arnett (Host), Sean Hayes (Host), Michael Grant Terry (Guest), Rob Armjarv (Guest), Bennett Barbakow (Guest).

What is "Walton Goggins | SmartLess" about?

Walton Goggins joins the conversation with hosts, engaging in a lighthearted and humorous discussion about his experiences and upcoming projects. The episode highlights the camaraderie and playful banter among the hosts as they navigate the dynamics of celebrity interviews and shared experiences in the entertainment industry.

What is mentioned in this SmartLess episode?

44 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Mongolia, Fallout, Western Mongolia, Griffin Dunne, The Shield, The Shield. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Walton Goggins | SmartLess"?

The episode runs 1 h 4 min; the transcript is about 14,076 words in 290 timestamped sections.

More from SmartLess

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.