2024 Woodstock Film Festival: A Conversation With Actor Walton Goggins

In celebration of this exciting Hudson Valley event now in its 25th year, we’re excited to share a series of exclusive interviews showcasing a select group of filmmakers participating in this year’s Woodstock Film Festival, which brings us to actor Walton Goggins and the film, The Uninvited. 

Actors Pedro Pascal, Elizabeth Reaser, Walton Goggins, Lois Smith, and Rufus Sewell have converged to create The Uninvited, an intimate relationship drama soon screening at the Woodstock Film Festival. Writer-director Nadia Conners, known for her work on the environmental documentary The 11th Hour with Leonardo DiCaprio, has made her debut here as a narrative film writer and director, sharing a potent movie about what matters most.

The plot explores the complexities of friendship and relationships through a single evening. As the characters gather in a house to celebrate their bonds, an unexpected guest – an older, disoriented stranger – arrives, triggering a series of comical and dramatic events and upending illusions. Secrets are unearthed, tensions flare, and long-buried emotions rise to the surface, culminating in a night that blurs the line between who truly belongs and who doesn’t.

The stellar cast delivers performances that elevate the intricate dynamics of the story. As the night unfolds, the characters must confront their pasts, wrestle with midlife crises, and reveal the true nature of their relationships. Players and viewers alike are invited to participate more fully in each moment of their lives. Sammy, a main character played by Walton Goggins, also has to reckon with the truths and priorities of his marriage and more.

Walton is also married to writer-director Nadia Conners (mother to their son), and he says that when first reading the screenplay, it “floored” him. “I’ve been a fan of her writing for 19 years. I was on a plane while reading it, and when I finished, I couldn’t stop crying, blown away by what it was saying about the human condition.”

The actor’s credits are long, having starred in various television series, including The Shield, Vice Principals, The Righteous Gemstones, Invincible, and others. Nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Justified, he was later nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Fallout.

Walton also co-produced the Academy Award-winning short film The Accountant, which he starred in. Then there are his popular feature films, a list too long to enumerate here, but includes Predators, The Hateful Eight, Lincoln, Django Unchained, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Tomb Raider, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and so many others, including The Uninvited.

Connect with Walton Goggins @waltongogginsbonafide | IMDb

Want to know more? Read our exclusive interview with Walton, and remember to book your tickets for what will be a sold-out viewing at the festival.

Now in its 25th year, 2024 promises to be as exciting as ever!
October 15 to October 20, 2024
Check out the 2024 Woodstock Film Festival Schedule

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INSIDE+OUT: What does it mean for you to be included in the Woodstock Film Festival and how often do you participate in film festivals?

Three years ago, my family left Los Angeles and relocated to the Hudson Valley. The Woodstock Film Festival is known for its curation of film. To be included in their program for a story that is so personal to me, directed by my wife, at a festival that is so close to my new home is very special. We feel this is the audience for our story and that it will resonate deeply with this group of people.

As you can imagine, I’ve been attending Film Festivals for over 27 years, both as an actor and a filmmaker. Film festivals stand at the intersection where filmmakers and lovers of film meet. It is an intimate space where thoughtful questions can be asked and answers are given, leading to a deeper conversation about a story’s intention. I love being on both sides of that equation.

Did anything in your own life shift unexpectedly during the process of making this film, which is a comedy of errors and the “reordering of life?”

There isn’t a movie that I’ve made that hasn’t shifted my worldview on some level. The Uninvited is no exception. I’ve been reading Nadia’s writing for such a long time. I’ve been a fan for 20 years. Seeing her step into the role of director of this story has brought me so much joy. Her unique point of view on the challenges facing women at every stage of life is something that I had a front-row seat to. I was raised by a group of women. My mother, her three sisters and my grandmother. Five Steel Magnolias. The Uninvited gets to the heart of the issues they themselves faced and are still going through today. It is so very personal to me.

What was your biggest challenge working on this film, if any?

The biggest challenge for me was wanting to do a good job for my director. I always have that at the onset of filming. In this case, I happened to be the husband of the writer/director, so the pressure was tenfold, as you might imagine. I didn’t want to let her down.

Rumor has it that you initially turned down the role of Boyd Crowder on Justified (2010) because you were concerned it would be a negative stereotype of Southerners. Also, you were approached about taking the role of a former Navy SEAL who falls into alcoholism in the Six miniseries, but you told the project’s producers you didn’t want it to be a “propaganda” exercise for the military. Is such courage among actors in the film industry the norm? If not, what has given you that courage?

That’s very kind of you to say. I don’t know… I think a lot of actors have a similar moral compass. At this stage of my life, I’m not interested in perpetuating a stereotype on any level. The world isn’t interested in watching those stories. Our differences are the things that allow us to stand together. Authenticity and a true representation of one’s individual journey is what most people want to see.

Want to share something that readers might be surprised to know about you?

I am both a homebody and a world traveler. I love to be home, get grounded, listen to music, make order, clean the house, and be with my family. Then, I like to get lost in the world and find myself in settings that challenge me on every level.

Any advice for young actors?

All I can say is how I have worked, which has been very hard. No matter what I was reading for or working on – be it a line, a huge scene, or a major role – I treated it with the same commitment. I read the material hundreds of times in preparation. There is truly no small role. It is all playing pretend at the deepest level. I am grateful I get to call this my profession. As I have grown as an artist and a human being, I have continued to be drawn to authenticity in various forms. So, I would look for that connection to yourself. What is true and build out from there.

Any upcoming projects you’d like to talk about?

The next project coming out will be Season 3 of White Lotus, for which I had an amazing chance to play in that world. We shot for almost seven months in Thailand. Obviously, I can’t say much more than that!

Photos courtesy of Walton Goggins

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About the Woodstock Film Festival

The 25th Annual Woodstock Film Festival brings a slate of distinguished films to screen from October 15 to October 20, 2024, at venues across the Hudson Valley towns of Woodstock, Rosendale, Kingston and Saugerties.

Founded in 2000, the Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that nurtures and supports emerging and established filmmakers, sharing their creative voices through an annual festival and year-round programming to promote culture, diversity, community, educational opportunities and economic growth.

WFF provides innovative mentoring and inspired educational programs benefitting filmmakers, students and diverse audiences while serving as a powerful cultural and economic engine for New York’s Hudson Valley and beyond. Such efforts have consistently resulted in the festival being hailed as one of the top regional film festivals worldwide. 

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Now in its 25th year, 2024 promises to be as exciting as ever. See you there!