He’s not even going to deny it — Timothy Olyphant is having a pretty damn good time.
At 58, the actor has more than a few memorable roles on his resume. He played stormy lawman Seth Bullock in the HBO Western series Deadwood and quick-draw marksman Marshal
Raylan Givens in Justified, creepy android scientist Kirsh in Alien: Earth and hysterical kidnapping victim Pete in Over Your Dead Body.
But perhaps more importantly, Olyphant has managed a feat that many actors devote — or destroy — entire careers trying to achieve: He’s just famous enough. Olyphant’s three-decade-long journey in Hollywood has seen him fit neatly into massive projects like the Disney-Lucasfilm franchise The Mandalorian, musical projects like Daisy Jones & the Six, and the short-lived but beloved Netflix comedy Santa Clarita Diet, but he maintains an air of mystery and anonymity that allows him to walk down the street without fear of being mobbed.
“All I do is think about the things I wish [people] didn’t know about me,” Olyphant tells Rolling Stone over an early-morning phone call from Southern California. “I love that you’re giving me the opportunity to sabotage the mindset, which is, ‘How can I keep this entertaining without telling them more about me?’”
Olyphant isn’t afraid to keep his answers short and sweet, leaning heavily on irony and a deadpan wit. He feels like the human embodiment of a cheeky wink, an alluring combination of chiseled handsomeness and self-deprecation. And with upcoming projects like the Peacock romance The Five-Star Weekend, premiering July 9, and the Apple TV thriller Lucky dropping July 15, plus the Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood sequel The Adventures of Cliff Booth due out later this year, Olyphant clearly has a skill for keeping himself in the conversation.
As for the secret to his success, the only thing Olyphant clearly finds more fun than acting is keeping that mystery to himself. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to pretend that [acting] is some kind of burden,” he says. “But the fact is, it’s pretty fucking great.”
You grew up in Modesto, California. What are some memories you have from those days?
Did you see American Graffiti? My high school years were just like that, just [with] uglier cars. I recall people throwing parties out at the orchards. It would be like, “Bring your own beer.” And I was like, “Well, then how are ‘you’ throwing a party? You don’t own the orchard. I don’t understand.” But we all had a good time.
How did you go from that upbringing to deciding acting was the career for you?
I had a hunch. It was after college. There [were] a bunch of things I’d always thought about doing. It was a long-term plan of avoiding a midlife crisis. I thought I should check a couple things off the list, so that I don’t wake up at 50 thinking, “I always wanted to do that and I regret the last 20-something years.” So, I gave it a whirl.
You attended the University of Southern California, where you met your wife, Alexis. How did you meet?
Like most people, we met in oceanography. That’s how it often works. [It was] junior year at college. It’ll be 35 years this July.
That is a feat. What do you think is the key to a lasting marriage?
I assume the secret is her. So I can’t really help anyone else, because that seems to be the trick here.
Do you think her not being in the entertainment business helps?
That might be part of the secret. It helps to have just one child in the relationship. She loves me, and I’m a big fan of that. It’s one of my favorite things about her.
You’ve been in three big Western series — Justified, Deadwood, and, if we’re being technical, also The Mandalorian. Have any cowboy mannerisms stuck with you?
I’m sure I’m guilty of trying to let some of that swagger rub off on me in my real life, but I’m not sure it amounts to much more than free wardrobe. And I grew up in Modesto. Modesto is a shitkicker town.
Before the cameras roll, what do you do to prepare for a role?
Take this with a grain of salt, but at this point in my career, I’m a learn my lines, show up, and hit my mark kind of guy.
Did you have a different approach earlier in your career? Did something change?
Earlier on I tried a lot of [methods] and I mostly found it confusing. It just got in the way.
You’ve also played notable villains in Scream 2 and, more recently, Alien: Earth. Are you ever afraid of being typecast as a bad guy?
I was dying to get a good villain role when I was starting out. Early on, I felt like I was [a] happy-go-lucky type of guy. I was keenly aware that some of my favorite actors of all time had all played, if not villainous, certainly dark and with an edge. I’m no genius, but I figured the smart thing to do was to copy them.
Who were some of those actors you wanted to emulate?
The usual suspects. De Niro and Pacino. I was a huge fan of Nic Cage, Gary Oldman. Miss Streep, as always. The usual list of amazingness.
Deadwood was written by the legendary David Milch. What are some of your strongest memories from filming?
Such a ridiculously rich experience. Milch made quite an impression. Every day those pages showed up, it made your jaw drop. I’m not sure I’ve had an experience like that since. Everyone felt like, “I don’t know if people are going to watch this, but boy, it sure seems like we’re part of something really special.”
Were you ever nervous that you might not live up to the potential of the script?
Oh, my God, I had that feeling for at least a year and a half. When we first started, every time [Milch] would tell me an idea, my first instinct was that he was joking. My second instinct was “Oh, he’s not joking, he’s going to ruin the scene.” And then finally I’d catch up to how brilliant it was. It took me a while to get past those first two steps and go straight to the third.
In the upcoming Peacock drama The Five-Star Weekend, you reunite with Jennifer Garner, your co-star from the 2006 rom-com Catch & Release. What excited you about the role?
[Jennifer’s] just a wonderful actor and she’s wonderful in this role. So that went into the plus column. I like the way she works. She is the kind of professional I try to be. It was an easy yes.
When’s the last time that you watched Catch & Release?
[Laughs.] The premiere?
You’ve never revisited it?
It’s a terrible question, you should be ashamed of yourself for asking that. Every now and then, I’d like to put on the Trump costume and talk to journalists like that — “How dare you ask that question?” [Laughs.] I have not seen it again, but I bet it holds up. Maybe I’ll put it on the queue for this evening, and I’ll circle back to you.
Are there any lessons you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
I don’t know if I knew this then, but it seems like it’s all fun and games. I don’t know if it’s lessons but perspective is always nice. You can’t get perspective without just doing the work. The job is way more fun than I remember it. I was having a good time when I started, don’t get me wrong. I was enjoying it all, but there was pressure. It’s nice to not feel that pressure now.
You’re distantly related to the Vanderbilts. Did that influence how you think about money?
I have been aware since childhood. My grandmother’s childhood home is now the Russian Embassy in New York, and my childhood home is on Norwegian Avenue in Modesto. So somewhere, someone’s responsible for fucking things up for me. I grew up saying, “OK, if you tell me I’m a Vanderbilt, I’ll believe you.” But I don’t see or feel any real evidence that you would think that name would imply.
You and your wife raised three kids, and you’re empty-nesters now. How did you manage that change?
We are empty nesters. That is why my IMDb page is doubling in size in a short period of time. For those of you who have young children, just heads up, they’re going to leave you. And if I was to do it again, I wouldn’t have gotten so close.
First, I shed a lot of tears, and then I realized, “Oh, wait a second, this is really fun.” It turns out it’s lovely. [Comedian] Tom Papa has a joke: When your kids leave, nobody prepares you for how hard it’s going to be to pretend to be sad.
Your daughter Vivian followed in your footsteps, even appearing as Raylan’s daughter Willa in Justified. Were you receptive to her desire to be an actor?
Vivian, at a very young age, we just figured she’s probably going to be an actor. We didn’t let her act as a kid when she expressed interest. She’d go to the school play, but we didn’t see a lot of upside in letting her act professionally at a young age. She went to the Berklee College of Music for songwriting, and one thing led to another. I was doing the Justified thing, she was looking for a summer job. Turns out there was a part. She auditioned and got that gig and was like, “Oh, I’m gonna drop out of college.” So now she’s in New York and doing what young actors do. She’s out there trying to make it work. And it’s really a lovely thing to be able to share with her.
You were also in Daisy Jones & the Six, the TV series loosely inspired by the life of Stevie Nicks. What are some of the most meaningful albums that have stayed with you through your life?
I think my first album may have been Supertramp’s Breakfast in America. I still remember staring at that cover and the liner notes endlessly. I was just in Modesto hanging with my buddies and there was a lot of music that perhaps I should be embarrassed by. April Wine, some Priest, some Van Halen. My first show I ever saw was Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in Stockton. It made quite an impression.
What are the roles in your career you’re proudest of?
I’ve had a really good couple years. When I was starting, I remember Paul Newman talking about trying to get to a place where you just don’t see the work. At the risk of babbling on like an actor — let’s try to avoid that — I will say I’m very proud of the work I’ve had the opportunity to do of late. This show, Lucky, gave me great material that was full of contradiction and complexity and humor, and also heartbreak. It was just a joy to be able to live those scenes out. I just finished Season Two of Stick. Totally different tone, but funny and heartbreaking, and a level of vulnerability and truth that came with so much heart.
What are the best and worst parts of success?
Well, these days I don’t see a lot of downside to it. I don’t mean to sound obnoxious, but I’m kind of living the dream here. It’s a pretty fun way to make a living. It’s just in between gigs that’s the difficult part.
How would you describe your level of fame, and is it something that you’re happy with or you want to change?
Oh, no, it’s a pretty sweet spot. I’ve looked around on both sides and I’m not complaining about where I’m at. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still in it for the money. That’s always been my favorite part about [acting]. They pay you for it. I feel like I’m working a lot, so I might be ruining it, but if I get more famous at this point in my life, I can’t get any more grounded. So I think I’m good, but we’ll see.
What’s the worst note you’ve ever gotten from a director?
At the risk of offending any directors reading this, most of them are pretty unusable. Whatever they’re saying, it usually just means do it again. When someone feels like there’s something not working with a scene, nine times out of 10 they’re right. And when someone offers a solution of how to fix that scene, nine times out of 10 they’re wrong. I just did [The Adventures of Cliff Booth] with [David] Fincher. We never did anything less than 20 takes. You can’t [think of] any of those takes as meaningless, otherwise it’s a very sad, sad process. You’re just seeing what else you can find. That’s all you’re doing, looking for some moment that some mistake turns into magic.
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