What you need to know
Is Walton Goggins’ doppelganger the Grinch?
In the spring, when excitement was at its peak about White Lotus’ appearance, some people on the internet seemed to be making this comparison. And now, thanks to Walmart’s “Who Knew?” holiday campaign, they’ll find out if they were right. The Righteous Gemstones actor, 54, appears as the famous Dr. Seuss character who hates Christmas in an ad running in WhoKnewVille.
While some may not appreciate the comparisons to the notoriously grumpy man, Goggins “laughed it off” during the last year of my life when many people said, “Is Walton Goggins the Grinch?” in articles published and photographs taken. ” he tells people. (Oddly enough, the comparisons seemed to really pick up steam after fans saw him posing in a Speedo on the cover of NSFW Cultured Magazine.)
He says he didn’t notice it at first, but once he put on the costume, it hit home.
“Until you step into that shoe, maybe that green furry shoe, and really look at yourself, you’ll never really know,” he explains.
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He explored unique interpretations of classic children’s book characters, from experimenting with The Grinch’s walk to finding his voice.
“I thought, ‘You know what? Yeah, I look like the Grinch,'” he says.
In Walmart’s reimagining of the story, Mindy Lou Who and her green “friends known for stealing” team up to bring Black Friday deals to the people of WhoKnewVille. And in this 2025 script, Max the dog even makes “killer matcha.”
In an earlier ad for Walmart, Goggins urged consumers to challenge their perceptions of the retailer to the tune of “Who Are You” by The Who. His various clothing changes, from towels (in the sauna) to Western clothing, teased his range. But even that range didn’t necessarily prepare him to play “one of literature’s most iconic figures.”
“My laughter quickly turned to insane anxiety,” he says. “‘Oh my God, what do I do? How do I pull this off?’ But we did and we had the time of our lives.”
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Goggins said that what was “very, very important” in transforming the character (previously played on screen by Boris Karloff, Jim Carrey and Matthew Morrison) was that it was “all M.” He added that the character was brought to life when the makeup team fitted a prosthetic on his nose.
“The moment they put it on, I knew exactly who my Grinch was,” he says. “He’s just a little frustrated, you know? But he’s also a hero here,” Goggins added, saying he tried to channel his inner Charles Grodin to set the tone.
In real life, Goggins was very close to the Grinch. He loves Christmas.
His family, wife Nadia Connors and son Augustus, 14, celebrate the holiday by going to local public tree lightings and singing carols. Goggins also showed them a rough cut of the commercial, which he said “encouraged” them.
Walton Goggins/Instagram
Goggins loves celebrating Augustus as “the center of (his) world” during the holidays. He said the “greatest gift” from his son was “his heart” and the kind of person he is. In return, Goggins loves having memorable experiences together, and shared a trip he and his family took to Mongolia this year.
For Goggins, the Grinch and Black Friday sales are similarly symbolic indicators of the upcoming holiday season.
“Walmart’s Black Friday sale is a classic. It’s on the calendar,” he added, referring to the highly anticipated shopping event that will be held at Walmart from November 25th to 30th. “My gift winnings are predicated on one thing, and one thing only, and that’s my schedule. So you never know where I’ll end up, but have you ever taken advantage of a Black Friday sale? Sorry for the language, but you can bet I did!”
