“There are things I want to keep mining. I will work tirelessly to figure out what those missed opportunities are, or what deeper meaning we could get at in a performance. Finding comedy where there is none in the drama, and drama where there is none in the comedy.”
-Timothy Olyphant, episode 460 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
Timothy Olyphant has made a career out of masking the effort behind his effortless performances.
He joins us on the heels of his recent turns in Lucky and The Five-Star Weekend. We talk about performing opposite Anya Taylor-Joy (3:53), his upbringing in Modesto, California (7:00), and the years he spent swimming competitively at USC before trading in the fine arts for acting (14:30). Then, Timothy reflects on moving to New York to study at the legendary William Esper Studio (18:38), what actor Holly Hunter taught him about keeping a presence of mind on set (26:00), and the creative freedom he found working with showrunner David Milch on Deadwood (34:34).
On the back-half, Olyphant discusses the collaborative spirit behind Justified with Walton Goggins (39:00), getting caught in the midst of real gunfire at the set of Justified: City Primeval in Chicago (49:00), acting alongside Leonardo DiCaprio (53:00), David Fincher’s famously meticulous process (56:10), and what he envisions for his next chapter (1:07:15).
As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com.
Watch this conversation on YouTube:
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Show-notes:
- Watch Timothy in Lucky and The Five-Star Weekend.
- See his work in Justified, Deadwood, and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.
- For more episodes, hear Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Photographs by Emil Ravelo. Design by Derek Gabryszak and Will Tuddenham.
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