On-screen nudity is a topic that gets a lot of attention. We’ve seen more male nudity on screen in recent years - Patrick Schwarzenegger recently did it for White Lotus - but those who tune in to the new season of The Righteous Gemstones will also see Walton Goggins' character go full frontal. But there's a twist to the scene because it’s not actually Walton Goggins.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Walton Goggins discussed his character’s nude scene and the fact that he actually had, as he puts it, a “dick double” for the shot. Apparently, it will be somebody else’s junk on full display. If you’re now wondering how much the unnamed actor's privates might resemble Walton Goggins, it’s unclear, as that’s not part of the, uh, casting process, as the Fallout actor said…
I had a dick double. It wasn’t my dick. I don’t get to pick that. Like I don’t get to pick who represents me. And I think there was a time in the business that was a possibility but…
Of course, if Walton Goggins doesn’t get to pick his “dick double” the next and most obvious question is, who does? I am now fascinated by the casting process for a stunt penis. Surely, something like that has to be handled in a very delicate way, even for a comedy series. Who makes these decisions, and what exactly are the criteria?
Nudity doubles are not uncommon. While many actors don't mind getting naked on camera, others outright refuse on-screen nudity. If an actor doesn't want to disrobe, but the nudity is seen, for whatever reason, as necessary, then somebody else steps in.
Jimmy Kimmel was as perplexed as I am, asking the question, “Why don’t you get to pick?” and I get it. While on the one hand, choosing somebody else to be on your on-screen penis is weird. On the other hand, having somebody else make that decision for you feels weirder.
Interestingly, it seems that these decisions are made “sight unseen,” as it were, as even the people running the show don’t actually see what they’re…working with…when casting for the role. It’s perhaps understandable as that might enter into a questionable legal area. As Goggins explained…
You know, I mean HR. Something about lawsuits and … I dunno if Danny saw it first or a producer saw it first, but you can hurt someone’s feelings if you come in the room and you’re looking at a photo and you’re like, ‘Nope. No, No [mimics tossing pics]. No, yes! OK I’ll take that.’
Interestingly, picking a double from pictures of naked men apparently was the process when picking a "willy double" for the Watchman series back in 2019, so things seemingly have changed.
However, while Walton Goggins may not have been able to choose his “dick double” he did have some control of the double’s performance. Since he decided how he would move during the scene, it meant the double would need to mimic those actions, which apparently led to some hilarious results. Check out the full interview for the entire story.
Season 4 of The Righteous Gemstones starts on HBO this Sunday. It’s unclear which episode will have the now-infamous nude scene. I suppose you’ll have to watch with a Max subscription to find out.