If you spot Walton Goggins In a Dubai airport lounge late at night, feel free to initiate a chat. Really—others will appreciate your approach.
"I really enjoy that sort of stuff, you understand?" Goggins says. The National I have likely passed through Dubai around five times, enjoying a cappuccino at the lounge past midnight multiple occasions. It’s where I engaged in numerous delightful discussions within those walls. There’s something special about connecting with others.
The sole challenge might be persuading Goggins to discuss his personal life. As an actor, he seems quite humble. "I make sure I'm not at the center of everything," explains Goggins. "Everything moves in cycles—everyone has a bit of self-absorption since each one acts like they're the main character in their narrative—but when you manage to look beyond this and recognize that your existence isn’t central, that brings immense happiness and fosters growth."
This is precisely why he can vanish seamlessly into various distinctive roles. It's also due to this reason that it took the world many years to truly appreciate his exceptional talent. However, following years of blending unnoticed into popular shows and movies, the actor, now 53, is finally stepping into the spotlight.
His big moment arrived with the 2024 series. Fallout In this role, he portrayed a post-apocalyptic bounty hunter called the Ghoul. His captivating performance was impossible to overlook, leading to his first-ever lead actor Emmy nomination.
However, 2025 has propelled him into an entirely different realm. His role as Baby Billy in the show’s final season took things to new heights. The Righteous Gemstones is strikingly good. But as Rick Hatchett in HBO’s The White Lotus , airing weekly on OSN+ in the Middle East, he’s become water cooler fodder. The character, a tortured stoic in search of the man who killed his father, is singular but eminently relatable – layered, heartbreaking and funny – like all the best Goggins creations.
“I saw him as an interloper in this world,” Goggins says. “All of these wonderful characters are an extension of [creator] Mike White’s imagination and heart. I think he has all these people inside of him, except for maybe Rick. Rick is special to him.”
“I understood his isolation, his inability to be understood based on his own trauma. Right from the words on the page, I knew this was going to be a lonely, lonely experience.”
It wasn't only about being distant from his loved ones and his house for half a year during the filming. Thailand That led Goggins to experience such loneliness — it was the path he needed to embark upon to uncover his true character.
Goggins clarifies, "The distinction lies in being proficient versus truly grasping something thoroughly." He continues, "Reading what’s written is one aspect, yet comprehending the emotions—such as joy, sorrow, and suffering—that these writings embody is quite different. I have deep affection for the characters. Uncovering their true essence provides me with a sense of release."
Goggins tackles his career as an actor much like he does his life, with each aspect fueling the other. "This has always been the journey I've embarked upon," he muses. "From a tender age, my mom guided me towards probing into the world more profoundly—searching for significance and connections beneath what meets the eye. This quest is something I strive to uphold every day. What draws me most are individuals who share this same aspiration."
That search has been spiritual and intellectual. He’s a big fan of Herman Hesse’s book Siddhartha and he reads a lot of spiritual texts from authors like Thich Nhat Hanh, Paramahansa Yogananda, and Joel Goldsmith.
A particular phrase lingers in his thoughts. Although he cannot recall which book it came from, it goes like this: "It's better not to start at all. However, once you've started, it's best to complete it."
Goggins states: "There isn't an option for being in between. When you start a journey, you must complete it. Perhaps certain journeys never truly conclude, yet you should remain within that stream, striving to reach the endpoint. If you exit this stream momentarily, drying yourself with a towel, remember that the current keeps moving. Eventually, you will dive right back into it."
That has been my path as an individual, and that's one of the reasons why I was incredibly eager to embark on this journey alongside Mike White and this ensemble. White Lotus . ”
Goggins didn't always find acting as fulfilling as he does now. There was a particular instance when everything shifted for him. On the set of a film, he observed an actress discovering nuances that were new to him, which made all the difference.
He remembers, "She wasn’t merely excellent; she was absolutely relishing it." Adding, "I asked her, 'Why are you having such a great time? It’s driving me crazy.' She simply glanced at me, shared the contact details of one of her colleagues who teaches, and mentioned, 'Give him a call. He will transform your life.'"
And indeed, he transformed my life. He showed me that we often make things overly complicated. It's like a children's game, and one must set aside their ego to truly reflect nature. These thoughts come back to me each time I head to work. I believe my role is to capture the core essence of these individuals.
Time and time again, he has done just that. On shows such as The Shield , Sons of Anarchy , Justified and Vice Principals ; in movies such as Django Unchained , The Hateful Eight , and Lincoln – he’s disappeared into his roles so convincingly the praise was usually reserved for his more-showy scene partners. Each one felt three dimensional: hard to love, but impossible to hate.
“Something I think is true – something that was pointed out by journalists that I didn’t notice myself – is that so many of the characters that I've played are lonely people looking for connection,” Goggins continues.
“But to me, they’re just real people. I see them in my mind, but I see them in the world. They’re people who look like me; that talk like me. I just don’t know how that’s going to manifest itself until I have the clothes or the hair. But I understand them – from birth to death; to a life well lived. I see it. I feel it. There was a kinship with each of them.”
But The White Lotus This has turned out to be particularly unexpected. Individuals are connecting through social platforms. Buddies and people he knows are contacting him, expressing how closely they identify with Rick Hatchett.
So many of us bear wounds," states Goggins. "Everyone feels adrift only to discover they were actually astray. In this stage of his journey, Rick appears harsh and distant, yet that very quality resonates with people. There are moments when we all feel alone and misjudged. Each one of us carries personal scars, and these emotional burdens create shared experiences.
Goggins realizes that people notice his abilities differently now. However, after many years in his profession, he feels the timing for these opportunities could not be better.
Opportunities arise for me once I am prepared mentally and emotionally," he states. "This is definitely true at present, yet my approach remains constant. The satisfaction I get from it stays unchanged as well. My aim is to persist on this journey throughout each new phase of my life—ideally, with numerous chapters still ahead.
"The White Lotus" is currently available for streaming on OSN+ across the Middle East, with fresh episodes released every week.
