A much younger Walton Goggins plays the hilarious older character Uncle Baby Billy in HBO’s celebrated comedy seriesThe Righteous Gemstones. Since the very first season ofThe Righteous Gemstoneswas released in 2019, Goggins' supporting character has been one of the funniest staples ofThe Righteous Gemstonescast. Even though Uncle Baby Billy comes and goes throughout all four seasons ofThe Righteous Gemstones, he ends up being an integral part of just about every major storyline.
Goggins, who is currently a part of two critically acclaimed HBO series (he playsRick Hatchett inThe White Lotusseason 3), worked on one ofThe Righteous Gemstonesstar and creator Danny McBride’s previous projects. He and McBride co-starred inVice Principals, another celebrated comedy series from HBOthat aired for two seasons in 2016 and 2017.Goggins has individually appeared in some of the greatest TV series of all time, includingThe ShieldandJustified, as well as the Oscar-winning moviesLincolnandDjango Unchained.
Walton Goggins Was 47 Years Old When Filming The Righteous Gemstones Season 1
Image via Max
When Uncle Baby Billy is introduced inThe Righteous Gemstonesseason 1, he is a 70-year-old elderly man played by the much younger Walton Goggins. SinceThe Righteous Gemstonesseason 1 was mostly filmed in late 2018 and early 2019, this would have made Goggins, who is currently 53 years old, 47 years old duringThe Righteous Gemstonesseason 1.In season 4, Uncle Baby Billy is now in his mid-seventies, even though he still retains a very youthful and jubilant energy.
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InThe White Lotusseason 3, Goggins plays a character who is more-or-less his actual age in his early 50s. Even thoughThe White Lotusseason 3 andThe Righteous Gemstoneswere filmed around the same time,Goggins' two celebrated HBO characters are separated by more than 20 years in age difference. Interestingly, Uncle Baby Billy and Rick Hatchett are virtually opposite characters. Goggins is exceptional in both roles and adds his own unique spin to each, despite their different personalities.
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There’s no question that McBride’s previous work with Goggins onVice Principalscontributed to him casting Goggins inThe Righteous Gemstones, even if Uncle Baby Billy is much older than Goggins is in real life. It appears thatMcBride was much more focused on Goggins' comedic talentand the opportunity to work with him again rather than casting an age-accurate actor for Uncle Baby Billy.
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In a recentinterview with 2025 Oscars host Conan O’Brien, McBride explained that he first came across Goggins fromThe Shieldand met him during an audition for McBride’s other celebrated comedy show,Eastbound & Down.Goggins read for theEastbound & Downseason 3 part, Kenny Power’s best friend, which ultimately went to Jason Sudeikis. Goggings gave such a great audition that McBride instantly thought of him once he wrote the Vice Principals pilot, which opened the door to future collaboration onThe Righteous Gemstones.
