Walton Goggins on why he freed the 'White Lotus' snakes: 'Rick's spirit animal'
HBO's 'The White Lotus" has already established a sinful serpentine theme in Season 3's tropical Thailand, but Sunday's episode (now streaming on Max) brings snakes to a whole new plane for mysterious Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins).
Rick leads a snake rebellion, freeing the trapped creatures from a touristy cobra show, and one emancipated reptile strikes his younger lover, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood). The scene is a pivotal character reveal for the emotionally haunted Rick, which Goggins was licking his lips to play out late in the six-month Thailand shoot, despite justified fears.
"Snakes are Rick's spirit animal; that's where he sees himself," Goggins tells Paste BN. "These reptiles are not for hugging, for most people. They are dangerous, feared and misunderstood. But he wants to liberate these creatures from the pain because he sees himself in them. That resonated deeply for me as Rick Hatchett."
Shadowy Rick makes it clear in the episode that he's in Thailand for a secret mission to avenge his father's murder. Exactly what line of killing Rick's involved in isn't clear, but he admits it in the resort's wellness therapy: "I've done a lot of bad things. Trust me." High on laced local marijuana, Rick transforms after watching tourists gawk at the biblically scorned snakes for cheap thrills during the show.
"He makes a soulful connection in that moment," Goggins says. "He wants to uncage them, just like he wants to uncage the pain he's been carrying."
The versatile actor, 53, can play the part, but snakes are definitely not Goggins' spirit animal. The "Fallout" star didn't need added perspiration for the "terrifying" two days of filming snake-filled scenes, which included holding a python.
"There is not a word in the English language that fully describes my personal fear of these animals," Goggins says. "But this was genuinely horrific, without hyperbole. I'm not trying to show you an idea of fear. It was traumatic, but in the best way. You have to go out on that limb and risk the branch breaking to reach enlightenment. That's what those two days were like."
Despite the age difference, Rick and Chelsea are the first 'love story' on 'White Lotus'
It's horrifying for Chelsea, who has her second snaked-themed near-death experience (in Episode 2, she eyes a gold-snake choker in a boutique, which armed robbers steal after smashing the glass). Chelsea is rushed to a nearby hospital after the bite as distraught Rick follows in a tuk-tuk. "I've never done a tuk-tuk chase scene, much less chasing the love of my life after she's been bitten by a cobra," Goggins says.
The moment offers a glimpse of perma-scowling Rick's real love for the free-spirited, much younger Chelsea. It's not like this season's other older white-guy relationships, or really any "Lotus" relationship. "It's a match made in heaven. There is a soul connection that happens if you're lucky in one's life and if (Chelsea) is willing to stay in there," Goggins says. "She understands him, and is probably the first person who ever encountered Rick who isn't afraid of him. She sees him for the wounded child that he may be."
The couple is unique in a franchise that skewers relationships. "I think audiences will see that this is maybe the first love story in 'The White Lotus,'" Goggins says.
Yes, the Ghoul from 'Fallout' is a heartthrob to fans
Goggins's star wattage is skyrocketing with the Rick portrayal amid a flurry of recent successes. The "Justified" actor is simultaneously returning to HBO Sunday with the final fourth season of "The Righteous Gemstones" as Uncle Billy Baby, and played the Ghoul in last year's hit Amazon series "Fallout." Season 2 of the post-apocalyptic series is now in production. "I just spent, like, 14 hours in Ghoul makeup yesterday," Goggins says.
The British Wood, 31, best known for Netflix teen comedy "Sex Education," is also grabbing the "Lotus" spotlight as Chelsea. "The world is just discovering this talent," Goggins says. "There is a lightness to her with this gravitas."
He was unaware that during "Lotus" press interviews, Wood had anointed Goggins with "heartthrob" status based on his portrayal of his noseless "Fallout" nuclear holocaust survivor. But even a reluctant Goggins has to admit Wood is not alone in falling for the Ghoul.
"What I will say is that people have responded to the Ghoul in ways that I didn't anticipate. I'm grateful to be on the receiving end of so many lovely conversations.
"The only thing that I find attractive in other people is the life that they've lived and the stories that they tell. I suppose the Ghoul, who's been around for 200 years, has both in spades."