Walton Goggins Says He Was Actually Bitten by a Snake Filming ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3
Walton Goggins, a star of HBO’s “The White Lotus” Season 3, faced a real-life scare while shooting a scene with snakes in Thailand. The 53-year-old actor plays Rick Hatchett, a troubled tourist vacationing with his girlfriend Chelsea, portrayed by Aimee Lou Wood.
In the show’s third episode, Rick, affected by cannabis, frees venomous snakes from cages at a snake farm. The chaos leads to Chelsea getting bitten and rushed to the hospital. But off-screen, it was Goggins who ended up with a snakebite.
Goggins shared the story on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” revealing his deep fear of snakes. “I am terrified of snakes,” he admitted. “I don’t just have a phobia, it’s like a missing link when it comes to snakes.” He added, “There’s something, like, genetically wrong with me when it comes to snakes.”
Despite his fear, the scene demanded he handle the reptiles. Set at a snake sanctuary, it showed Rick releasing the snakes as a symbol of his inner pain. Goggins explained, “For Rick Hatchett, the snakes represented him, and metaphorically speaking, he was releasing these snakes because he wants someone to release him from his pain.” But he quickly noted, “That meant nothing on the day.”
Before filming, a snake handler instructed Goggins on which snakes were safe and which were deadly. “Don’t touch this cage because this snake will kill you,” he was told about one. Another cage had snakes, but he was warned, “Don’t touch the brown ones.” Overwhelmed, Goggins forgot the details.
He recalled, “All I’m thinking about is the very first cage where the snake will kill you, and the rest of it just goes out of my mind.” When the director called “Action,” panic set in. He said, “‘Don’t open the first one because they’ll kill you. Was it green or was it brown? Which one has a big, big bite?’”
Things took a turn when Goggins tried to lift a green snake. “I started to pull the green one and as I was pulling the snake out he didn’t want to come, right?” he recounted. “So, the snake turns around and he bit me.” His reaction was far from calm. “I wish I could have been cool,” he said.
“I wish I could’ve been cool, like I fancy myself a pretty cool guy. Like, ‘Hey, yeah, I got a snakebite.’” Instead, he shouted, “Oh my God, I’ve been bit by a snake! Oh my God!” The fear hit harder because of his phobia. “When I picked up the snake for the very first time, I started crying. Like uncontrollably,” he confessed. A snake handler stayed close off-camera to help, but the bite still happened.
After the incident, the crew treated the bite with Neosporin, and Goggins kept filming for nine more hours. The next day, a producer called with a change of heart. “Hey, you know what? We’ve been thinking about it and we’re thinking maybe you should go to the hospital,” they said.
Confused, Goggins responded, “For what? You said the snake was non-venomous. Am I dying a slow death?” He asked, “Is there something you know I don’t know?” To be safe, he went to the hospital and received a tetanus shot.
You can watch the whole interview here:
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