Watching Walton Goggins in Prime Video’s post-apocalyptic TV showFalloutwas one of the best parts of 2024, but this is far from Goggins' only iconic performance. Besides his role inFallout,Goggins stars in two recent HBO showsthat have received significant audience and critical acclaim,The Righteous GemstonesandThe White Lotusseason 3. For an actor with so much range and depth, few characters are out of reach. Goggins' skills are cemented by his early work in a stunningly tense and compelling crime drama from the early 2000s.
The Shieldis one of thebest crime drama TV shows of all time, and Goggins was a key piece of the series' success. Airing from 2002 to 2008 on FX,The Shieldwas one of many gritty crime shows on the air during this period, but it did a great job of distinguishing itself from the beginning. Though it’s still relatively overlooked compared to acclaimed series likeThe SopranosorThe Wire,The Shieldholds up today, and so does Goggins' performance.
Walton Goggins Played A Police Detective In All 7 Seasons Of The Shield
Goggins Portrayed Shane Vendrell In Every Season Of The Shield
Throughoutevery season ofThe Shield, Goggins lent his talents to the starring role of Shane Vendrell, an LAPD detective alongside Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis). As Vendrell, Goggins was on the front lines of the major storylines of the series, which didn’t shy away from discussing corruption within the department and referencing the many real-life police scandals that were widely reported on at the time.Set in a fictional district of Los Angeles,The Shieldsees its lead characters plagued by the violence and lies that are interwoven into the fabric of their team.
Mackey leads the Strike Team within their department, and he and Vendrell frequently come into conflict with the Captain of their division and other officers who grow suspicious about how the team so efficiently puts away criminals. Of course, the answer is thatthe Strike Team resorts to illegal and violent methods,including framing suspects for their own crimes, which creates a tenuous yet intense bond between the members of the team. The series juxtaposes the characters' personal dramas and beliefs with their actions on the force to great effect.
Why The Shield Is One Of Walton Goggins' Best Performances
Vendrell Is A Character Unlike Any Other Goggins Has Portrayed
It’s difficult to select just one of Goggins' performances as his best, as the actor has demonstrated such a significant range of abilities. However,the nuance of his work as Vendrell sets this apart as one of his greatest TV appearancesto date. His complex dynamic with Mackey, personal relationships, and conflicting beliefs about how he should behave as part of the Strike Team add enormous depth to Goggins' portrayal. Every moment he’s onscreen, the audience can see all of these feelings swirling within Vendrell, and they understand how this motivates some of his most shocking actions.
The Shieldwas one of Goggins' breakout roles, and it’s easy to see why he’s found so much success since the conclusion of the series.
Watching Goggins is everything fromFallouttoThe Righteous Gemstones, has been a treat, as he’s capable of being hilarious one moment and pivoting to high drama the next.The Shieldwas one of Goggins' breakout roles, and it’s easy to see why he’s found so much success since the conclusion of the series. After watching his work as Vendrell, audiences and critics agreed that he lends skill and confidence to every project he’s part of, and this has been the case for years.
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Walton Goggins' Role In The Shield Almost Prevented Him From Getting Cast In Sons of Anarchy
Goggins Was Synonymous With His Role In The Shield For Many Years
In an interview withWired, Goggins discussed how working onThe Shieldnearly prevented him from being cast as Venus Van Dam inSons of Anarchy. Kurt Sutter was a writer onThe Shieldbut went on to createSons of Anarchy. Due to his past with Goggins onThe Shield, Sutter believed that there was no wayaudiences would be able to separate Goggins from his character onThe Shieldand that he would distract from the plot inSons of Anarchy.
Fortunately, Sutter eventually cast him inSons of Anarchy, and Goggins proved himself to be more than capable of portraying Venus with empathy and nuance. Though it’s hard to imagine that Goggins would be typecast today, as he’s been in a litany of amazing and vastly different roles in the past few years, this almost happened because of how popular he was inThe Shield. Though this could’ve easily happened to Goggins again with his starring role inFallout, the actor has already lent his talents to new and exciting work likeThe White Lotusto retain his diverse portfolio.
