Six seasons into playing mortal enemies Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder on FX’s neo-WesternJustified, starsTimothy OlyphantandWalton Gogginsmirrored the antagonism their characters had for each other - but thankfully, unlike on the show, no shots were fired. In an interview withThe Independent, Goggins goes into the disagreement: “We had a tough time towards the end ofJustified. We were so deep into these people we were playing, and they were so polar opposite at this point in the story… I think we were both obsessed with our own points of view, just carrying the weight of this conflict.” However, according to Goggins, the two eventually reconciled after the show’s conclusion: “I think we just needed to separate, like brothers. I respect and love him greatly, and I feel respected and loved by him greatly. We just needed to take a break in order to come back together.”
In his own interview withVanity Fair, Olyphant discusses the conflict himself: “There was this thing where, as the show went on, and especially as the thing came to an end, where I would come from the writers’ room. They’d add things that were like, ‘Here’s what we need Walt to do to get to this finale we want.’ Then Walt would say his character would never do that, and then I’d be like, ‘Goddamn it.’ We’d get really frustrated with each other.” He also mentioned that the two had recently met up in Thailand, where Olyphant is filmingNoah Hawley’snewAlienseriesand Goggins is starring in the third season ofThe White Lotus.
Who Are Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder?
Both Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder, who originate in the writings of authorElmore Leonard, grew up poor in Harlan County, Kentucky, and worked in the county’s coal mines together. Givens left town and became a US Marshal, while Crowder became a criminal and a white supremacist. Their paths crossed again when Givens, after gunning down a mobster in Miami, was sent to Kentucky as punishment; there, he had to stand between Crowder and his sister-in-law, Ava, who had just killed her abusive husband, Boyd’s brother Bowman. Boyd was intended to die at the end ofJustified’s pilot, which is what happens in the Leonard short story,Fire in the Hole, it was based on; however, thanks to the strength of Goggins' performance, the character lived, and continued to be a thorn in Givens' side throughout all six seasons ofJustified. Last year’s revival miniseries,Justified: City Primeval,ended on a cliffhanger, with Crowder escaping from prison; whether he and Givens will face down one last timeremains to be seen.
Both Olyphant and Goggins have full calendars these days. In addition toAlien, Olyphant will star in theTom Hardyaction thrillerHavocthis year. Meanwhile, Goggins currently stars in Amazon’sFalloutas the (surprisingly sexy) undead cowboy the Ghoul, and will star alongsidePedro Pascalin the black comedyThe Uninvited, and withEmily Brett Rickardsin the wrestling biopicQueen of the Ring.
All six seasons ofJustifiedand its sequel miniseries,Justified: City Primeval, are currently streaming on Hulu. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
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