By Elianna Peñaloza, MWN
‘The Righteous Gemstones’ is a series that tells the story of a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance and greed. The second season shows the Gemstone family threatened by strangers from the past and present who wish to destroy their empire.
In an interview with Metro, John Goodman talked about his role in the series.
How different are the two seasons?
The second one was very different because I was grieving in the first season. It was all the character could think about: his fallen children and his dead wife. Without her, there was no ministry. I just couldn’t see beyond that. So it was hard to play because she wasn’t very present.
And that didn’t happen in this second season?
No. The guy became less stressed. He kind of wakes up and there’s a threat to the community. He has no friends, except for Martin, his right-hand man. And when Jr. comes from his past, all of a sudden he relaxes and starts having fun.
I think the world wakes him up, even his accent changes, he starts talking like he did when he was a kid. His children are so short-sighted that they can’t see beyond that. But he tries to please them to make up for the absence of their mother.
Did you know from the beginning that this story was going to become so dark?
Covid-19 played a key role in that. We all showed up for the second season, I took them to my house to drink and read, but they shut us down. Then Danny (McBride) rewrote what he had in mind for the second season, which ended up being something more substantive.
How would you describe Eli’s attitude in season 2?
He’s a guy who’s had a genuine religious experience, but he’s never going to be able to get away from his criminal side. He came in as a loan shark’s enforcer. He didn’t know any better. He wanted to build something wonderful, and he did. It’s a little shady, but Eli seems to be very happy and in control. Plus, he has to take care of it because the kids sure can’t do it.
Early in this season, there are two or three fistfights. Are you reclaiming an almost animalistic side?
It was cathartic. He needed something to wake him up and Junior brought that. He lost control a few times with Calvin Sampson. He felt terrible about that fight in the parking lot, but he also enjoyed it because he hasn’t been able to do that kind of thing.
He’s the head of this company and he has to reflect his values, but when he finally breaks through, I think he feels a lot better. So he’s much more relaxed and ready to step into this life.
Is it the same for John Goodman? As an actor, is there something exciting about that fight in the parking lot?
I put so much energy into it that I ended up in the hospital. They wanted a stunt double to do the scene, but I said, ‘No, I want to do this.’ And I did, but by the end of the night, I was so tired…
Plus I had an accident. The fight wasn’t really risky, but I slipped, couldn’t regain my balance and ended up head first in the back of a truck. I had to be taken to the hospital for a brain scan. But nothing happened, I was proud to have done the scene.
When Danny contacted you, did you think about where the character was going?
No, I had no idea. I admire Danny, so I read the script and told him that I wanted to be on the show. The truth is that there was a lot about Eli that I didn’t like, because he’s self-righteous, for example, but I liked the vibe of the show, so I trusted Danny and it felt right.
People like Danny, who can create these kinds of stories, are amazing.
