Summary
- Walton Goggins avoided playing
Fallout
games to bring a fresh perspective to his character, The Ghoul, in the TV series adaptation. - Fallout
TV adaptation aims to introduce a new story that seamlessly fits into
Fallout
canon, avoiding direct recreation of game narratives. - Goggins embraced the complex and human themes in the well-written scripts, using prosthetics and costumes to bring The Ghoul to life.
Fallout star Walton Goggins deliberately chose not to play the popular video game series to avoid being influenced by its portrayal of Ghouls.
Fallout
4/5
- Release Date
- April 10, 2024
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Amazon Studios, Kilter Films, Bethesda Game Studios
- Creator
- Geneva Robertson-Dworet
In an interview with GamesRadar+, Goggins shared that he wanted to approach his character, Cooper Howard, also known as The Ghoul, with a fresh perspective. His character is described as a mutated bounty hunter with a cowboy persona. Goggins said:
”
I never played the game. So when this kind of came my way, I didn’t want to play it ’cause I didn’t want to be influenced by whatever version of the Ghoul is in the games.
I also knew that what Jonathan and Graham and Geneva, our writers, what they were attempting to do.”
Goggins emphasized that the TV adaptation, produced by Prime Video and led by Westworld co-creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, aims to introduce a new story that fits seamlessly into the existing Fallout canon, rather than recreating specific game narratives. Goggins shared:
“What they were asked to do was not to recreate a season or an issue, I suppose of Fallout the game, but to
introduce a new story that would fit seamlessly into the canon that is Fallout
.”
Watch MovieWeb’s Fallout – Walton Goggins Interview below:
The show’s writers, including Jonathan Nolan, Graham Wagner, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, have crafted a plot that explores complex and human themes, providing Goggins with a solid foundation for his portrayal.
Walton Goggins Portrays the Complexity of The Ghoul in Fallout Series
In the Fallout video game series, Ghouls are posthuman beings who have undergone severe disfigurement due to radiation exposure. They are divided into two categories: those who live alongside the general population and the feral Ghouls, who are hostile and dangerous. Goggins’ character, The Ghoul, appears to be a non-feral variant, maintaining his intelligence and humanity despite his mutations.
I had the license to take it really wherever I wanted to.
Goggins expressed his appreciation for the well-written and thoughtful scripts he received, which allowed him to develop his character without the need to reference the game. He highlighted the importance of the prosthetics and costume in bringing The Ghoul to life and the practical challenges of embodying the character.
“They had written, I had read two scripts when we started, and they were so thoughtful and so well written and so complex and human. And I, it was really kind of all there for me.
You know, it was all on the page. It was just a matter of putting those prosthetics on, getting the clothes on and just figuring out practically how to pull it off.
”
Fallout Review: Something For Everybody in a Slick Adaptation of the Popular Video Game
The creators stay true to the spirit of the source material in a romp that soars high, but leaves you wanting more. And that’s (mostly) a good thing.
The Fallout TV series follows the story of a young Vault Dweller named Lucy MacLean, played by Ella Purnell, who ventures to the surface for the first time to rescue her kidnapped father, portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan. Her encounter with The Ghoul, played by Goggins, promises to be a central and chaotic element of the narrative.
