The Righteous Gemstones' Walton Goggins And John Goodman Credit The Show's Success To One Star - Exclusive Interview
The finely polished Gemstone family is back with "The Righteous Gemstones" Season 3, series creator Danny McBride's uproarious take on a dysfunctional family of televangelists whose greedy and corrupt ways help fund their questionable Southern megachurch.
Season 3 of the HBO and Max black comedy series finds Pastor Eli Gemstone (John Goodman) — still deeply affected by the death of his wife, Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles) — settling into semi-retirement as he hands the reigns of the Gemstone Salvation Center to his three children. The problem is, the overgrown Gemstone sibling trio — Jesse (McBride), Judy (Edi Patterson), and Kelvin (Adam Devine) — are all but completely inept and can't agree on the right direction to lead the church forward to prosperity.
Making matters worse, some vengeful figures from the family's past resurface and threaten to blow up the family's operation. And on top of that, each of the Gemstone children has their own messy family squabbles to deal with, which tests the already shaky dynamic of the clan from within. Making the Gemstone family madness complete is the return of Eli's brother-in-law, the scheming Pastor Baby Billy Freeman (Walton Goggins), whose undying thirst for money and attention paves the way for the smooth-talking preacher man to get back on television, Baby Billy style.
In an exclusive interview with Looper, John Goodman and Walton Goggins discuss the genius of McBride and what keeps the series ticking three seasons in. In addition, Goggins explains why Baby Billy is one of the greatest characters he's ever played, and then the actor and Goodman discuss their associations with Hollywood's most eclectic directors regarding future projects.
The interview, however, kicks off with a quick discussion about one of Baby Billy's money-making schemes in "The Righteous Gemstones," which the white-haired, overly gregarious pastor claims to cure countless maladies.
Everybody gives their all on The Righteous Gemstones
I have to start by saying I feel great every day because I take my daily dose of Baby Billy Freeman's Health Elixir!
John Goodman: Are you noticing big red blotches yet?
Walton Goggins: You'll live a year longer than you anticipate! [laughs]
You got a lifelong customer, Baby!
Goggins: Thank you, sir! Thank you!
The reason we're talking about Season 3 of "The Righteous Gemstones" today is because the show kicks ass. It is so freaking hilarious. But sustaining that sort of momentum isn't as easy as it looks. Do you fine-tune things before you start a new season, or do you rely solely on what Danny McBride and his co-writers come up with, or is it a combination of both?
Goodman: I trust those guys. They come up with better stuff than I ever could, and I trust them and jump in with both feet. We have such a great cast that you want to give everybody your all, and because they're all doing it, it makes a long day a lot shorter because we laugh all day.
Goggins: [Danny] has an arc for all of this, and it has changed, and he's modifying it as he goes, but we trust him, and he trusts us on the day [of filming]. It is an opportunity to go to work every day, take comedy very seriously, and have a great time doing it, because people aren't showing up and not bringing their all, [saying it's] a paycheck. People are showing up with their A game all day every day, and it's a joy to be in that environment. That's where success and happiness is, and all the rest of it in my book.
Playing Baby Billy is one of the 'greatest experiences' of Goggins' life
Walton, I can't imagine the transformative feeling of becoming Baby Billy Freeman, being fitted with that white wig and those tinted glasses. Plus, in your first scene in Season 3, you're wearing that powder-blue outfit and seashell thing on your back. With that scene, or any other scene for that matter, do you say to yourself, "This role is the greatest gift ever given to me"?
Goggins: Well, I've had a lot of great gifts now. [With] respect to Baby Billy, he's on par with the greatest experiences of my life — and he's exhausting. He's exhausting being that insecure and being that old and that envious of Eli Gemstone. That'll wear a motherf***er out. But I am so grateful for the gift of playing this guy.
In tandem with that, or on par with that — excuse me for cussing, but I love these f***ing people, man. I love all of them, and some I've known longer than others, but I just get off on seeing them. I get off on seeing what they do, and I get off on them getting off on seeing what I do.
There's not an a**hole in the bunch. Everyone's [giving their all] all the time, and everyone shows their appreciation for what the other person is doing, through laughter or with conversations afterward. What a joy to be at this stage of my life, and I'm sure John feels the same, [with what] you get this season. I'll always look back on these years in my life of being with these guys, and it's family. It all gets sweeter as one gets older.
Are reunions on the way for Goodman and the Coens, or Goggins and Tarantino?
John, ... given your choice of reuniting with the Coen [brothers], either for a new original film or a "Big Lebowski" sequel, which would you choose? Or is that an impossible choice and you'd say, "Screw it, man, I want to do both!"
Goodman: No, the "Lebowski" sequel's not going to happen, but anytime Joel and Ethan have a part for me, I'll be there.
Walton, you've worked with ... Quentin Tarantino [on "Django Unchained" and "The Hateful Eight"]. Since he is only directing one more movie, "The Movie Critic," I'm wondering if you've been texting Quentin or maybe dropping some hints on phone calls, even saying, "I'll take just a little part."
Goggins: Yeah, I would never tell you that. That relationship, for anyone that has the privilege of getting to work with the man or being friends with the man, those things are hermetically sealed.
Also starring Cassidy Freeman, Tony Cavalero, Gregory Alan Williams, and Tim Baltz — and welcoming new cast members Kristen Johnston and Steve Zahn — "The Righteous Gemstones" Season 3 premieres on HBO and Max with two episodes on Sunday, June 18. New episodes of the series debut Sundays through August 6.
This interview has been edited for clarity.