Walton Goggins has explained how he came to play his iconic Sons of Anarchy character Venus Van Dam. First appearing in Sons of Anarchy season 5 as a transgender escort who helped members of the show’s titular outlaw motorcycle gang blackmail a local businessman, Goggins would eventually become a recurring guest star until the season 7 finale. Forming a romantic bond with SAMCRO member Tig Trager (Kim Coates), Venus was last seen comforting Tig following the gang’s decision to pass a mayhem vote that placed a death mark on Jax Teller’s head.

During a recent appearance on one of WIRED’s Internet’s Most Asked Questions videos, Goggins explained how Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter approached him to play Venus. Revealing that Sutter once suggested that he would never cast Goggins or Michael Chiklis because they were too recognizable for their roles on The Shield, Goggins shot back that he would only ever play a transgender character for him anyway. Two years later, Sutter approached him with a genuine offer to play Venus in season 5. Check out his comments and the original video below:

Now this is my girl, Venus Van Dam. Kurt Sutter, the writer of Sons of Anarchy, was one of the main writers on The Shield. A very, very dear friend of mine. And the truth is, this is a true story. He did an interview where he said that the only two people that I could never have on my show are Michael Chiklis and Walton Goggins, because no one could ever see them as anything but their characters on The Shield.

Someone sent this article to me, I read it, I forwarded it to Kurt Sutter and I said ‘F— you, man. I wouldn’t do your show anyway.’ True story. I said, ‘The only way I would do your show is if I played a transgender.’ Two years later, he sent me a text and he said, ‘were you serious?’

And I said, ‘about what?’ He said, ‘about playing a transgender.’ And I said, ‘do you have pages?’ He said, ‘yes.’ He sent them, I read them and it was one of the greatest things that I had ever read. And it made me laugh and it broke my heart.

Walton Goggins’ Sons Of Anarchy Character Further Proves His Transformative Power

The Actor Is Well Known For Disappearing Into His Roles.

While Goggins may be experiencing a sudden influx of acclaim from his most recent role in Prime Video’s Fallout, the veteran actor boasts an impressive career as one of television’s most versatile and impressive actors. Switching effortlessly between comedy and more serious dramatic fare, his career has seen him portray everyone from post-apocalyptic gunslingers and career criminals to outrageous televangelists and undercover cops. However, his dedication to Sons of Anarchy’s Venus Van Dam remains one of his best demonstrations of his skill and flexibility as a performer.

Revealing that it would not only take four and a half hours in the makeup chair to be transformed into his Sons of Anarchy character, Goggins also explained that he spent nearly a month wearing high-heeled shoes around the cobblestone streets of New Orleans to prepare for the role. He was so dedicated to bringing the character to life, that he also forbade anyone else on the show from seeing his transformation into Venus aside from those directly involved in the makeup process.

Most importantly, however, his final performance was far from the stereotypical caricature that transgender roles have been historically seen in past decades. Deeply nuanced in a way that feels respectful to the broader transgender community, Venus’ ongoing association with SAMCRO members would even serve to overcome many of the other characters’ own prejudices. With performances such as Goggins’ outstanding turn as Venus in Sons of Anarchy, it is easy to see why he is currently being hailed by so many as one of television’s most impressive actors.

Source: WIRED