Justified is one of my favorite series. What else has Walton Goggins done?
—Richard Conroy, Savannah, Ga.
Prior to signing on to Justified, for which Goggins, 40, received an Emmy nomination for his role as Boyd Crowder, he also starred for six years in the network’s award-winning cop drama The Shield as hotheaded Detective Shane Vendrell.
He compares the two roles. “Unlike Shane Vendrell, Boyd doesn’t act before he thinks. He takes his time and is able to see all the pieces on the board. He is rarely surprised. But the most fun for me is when Boyd really is surprised and taken off guard. That has happened this season.”
Born in Birmingham, Ala., and raised in Lithia Springs, Ga., Goggins moved to Los Angeles at age 20 and launched his acting career a year later with the TV movie Murder in Mississippi. Other TV credits include In the Heat of the Night, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, NYPD Blue and Criminal Minds. His films include The Bourne Identity, Cowboys & Aliens, Predators and Shanghai Noon.
“I got into this business for one reason and one reason only,” says the actor, who is also an award-winning short film producer. “It wasn’t to become a celebrity, or to own a boat, or to be on a television show that went for 10 years and then check out. It was for the love of story. I love digging deep and telling stories. At the end of the day, if story is king, that is what we are all here for.”
