Walton Goggins has addressed the rumors of a feud with hisWhite Lotus co-star Aimee Lou Wood, explaining why he unfollowed her on Instagram.
In season three of the acclaimed HBO comedy drama, the Fallout actor played Rick, the love interest of Wood’s character Chelsea.
In a new joint interview with Variety, Goggins said he unfollowed Wood after filming as a way of seeking closure after the emotional exertion of making the show.
He compared the experience to leaving his role on another show, saying: “When I left Justified, I went up to Tim [Olyphant], and I hugged him and I said, ‘I love you, and I hope I see you in rooms for the rest of my life.’ I didn’t talk to him for almost two years. I’ve done that with every single thing that I’ve done.”
He added that The White Lotus experience was particularly difficult because it brought back memories of his own travels to Thailand after his first wife, Leanne Knight, died by suicide in 2004.
“My catharsis in this experience was different than other people’s, because of my history in this place. I knew what we had gone through, and I knew how close that we had gotten, and I needed to begin to process saying goodbye to Rick and Chelsea,” said Goggins, who reportedly started to cry.
“And I knew that that was going to take a while for me, so I let her know, this is what I’ve gotta do. And she was extremely supportive about that.”
He continued: “I needed to just back away from everyone. I haven’t spoken to anyone. I couldn’t handle it. Judge me or don’t. I don’t give a f*** what you think. This is my process. Rick means everything to me, and Chelsea means everything to me. And so that’s what I needed to do for me to process all of this.”
Goggins began following Wood on Instagram again during the interview, saying: “You know what? I’ll follow you right now!”
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The actor also addressed a controversial interview he gave to The Times.
The article insinuated that Goggins had angrily shut down questions about his supposed feud with Wood.
“There is no feud. I adore, I love this woman madly, and she is so important to me,” Goggins told Variety. “This is Goldie Hawn. This is Meg Ryan. She can do anything, and she will.”
He said he didn’t want to discuss his relationship with Wood with The Times without her present, and was also offended by a question that he said compared Goggins’ teeth to Wood’s and asked if they’d bonded over that.
“What he was insinuating, it was so disgusting. It was so appalling. I was flabbergasted. And I said, ‘F*** mate, wow. I think we’re done here,’” said Goggins.
