Ghoul (TV character)

Last updated

The Ghoul
Fallout character
The Ghoul Fallout TV Series.webp
The Ghoul as he appears in the series
First appearance
Created by
Portrayed by Walton Goggins
In-universe information
Full nameCooper Howard
AliasThe Ghoul
Species Ghoul
Human (formerly)
OccupationBounty hunter
Actor (formerly)
FamilyBarb Howard (ex-wife)
Janey Howard (daughter)
NationalityAmerican

Cooper Howard, better known as the Ghoul, is a fictional character from the sci-fi Western television series Fallout , itself based on the franchise of role-playing games of the same name. He is portrayed by American actor Walton Goggins.

Contents

The character is a member of a race of post-human beings called "ghouls", humans whose appearances were greatly disfigured by radiation following an apocalyptic nuclear exchange. The Ghoul is a bounty hunter wandering the post-apocalyptic wasteland who comes into conflict with Lucy MacLean over the course of the show. Extensive flashbacks also depict his past as Cooper Howard, a Hollywood actor and spokesman for Vault-Tec in the year 2077.

The Ghoul has received acclaim from both critics and audiences, with praise directed towards his characterization, visual design, and Goggins' performance. In 2024, Goggins was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in Fallout. [1]

Concept and creation

Walton Goggins portrays the Ghoul and Cooper Howard in the series SDCC 2015 - Walton Goggins (19106340704).jpg
Walton Goggins portrays the Ghoul and Cooper Howard in the series

In February 2022, Variety reported that Walton Goggins had been cast in a leading role as a ghoul in Prime Video's then-upcoming TV adaptation of the Fallout game series. [2] Goggins was the first choice to play the character. Showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet told IGN , "I think in our earliest conversations back in 2020, Graham [Wagner] and I were like, oh, if Walton Goggins played a ghoul in a Fallout show, I would totally watch that. That was one of our earliest creative decisions. And Graham and I have talked about how stupid that was in retrospect, because what if he’d been busy?" [3] Goggins was originally led to believe that the role of the character would be akin to one of Fallout's player avatars, as Jonathan Nolan wanted Goggins to be surprised when he was told the extent of the Ghoul's character. [4]

Nolan struggled with the Ghoul's visual design. He wanted the character to look like a mutant, but also wanted the audience to find his appearance attractive rather than repulsive. Goggins said, "The thing that was most important for I think all of us was to not have the audience kind of repulsed by this experience, to not have them look away from the experience, but rather to lean into the roadmap of his face as almost a journey of a person who has been walking in an irradiated, post-apocalyptic kind of landscape for 200 years." Jake Garber, the lead makeup artist on the character, wished to move away from designing grotesque characters, but signed onto the project when he learned that the character was meant to have more humanity. [5] The Ghoul's lack of a nose was depicted by a special piece that was placed onto Goggins during filming. The piece had dots on it that allowed the nose to be edited out later. [6] According to Nolan, the typical grotesqueness of the ghouls from the games was deliberately toned down for the character so Goggins would be able to emote. He told Vanity Fair , "I need to be able to see Walton and his performance, he needs to look like a Ghoul from the game, and he needs to be kind of hot." [7]

Stanley L. Wood00.jpg
Clint Eastwood - 1960s.JPG
The Ghoul took inspiration from Western films, as well as Western anti-heroes such as The Man With No Name

When designing the Ghoul's outfit, costume designer Amy Westcott incorporated elements of the outfit he wears when the bombs drop in the first episode. She said, "Under his duster and vest, and layers he has acquired in the wasteland over the years, is his cowboy costume, so to speak. You can't really tell... but it’s very, very distressed and aged." [8] Westcott stated that the only reason the Ghoul did not appear more grotesque was because "he still had his wits about him." The costume design team created many different "degrees of ghoulness" so as to depict the Ghoul as only being in a stage of being a Ghoul and not depicted as one with his mind lost. Westcott also wished to showcase the show's theme of optimism by having the Ghoul show signs of decay while still maintaining his politeness. This was done to help maintain the Ghoul's humanity and help him relate to audiences. [9] Nolan wished for the Ghoul's eyes to be visible in his design to help communicate the Ghoul's human side, and additionally wanted for the Ghoul to be "sexy." [10]

For his performance, Goggins took influence from classic Western anti-heroes, particularly Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name. [11] He also compared the character to Virgil in Dante's Inferno in the sense that he guides the audience through the post-apocalyptic landscape. [12] In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , he said, "The Ghoul on paper seemed sadistic and seemed like, 'Why is he torturing this person [Lucy]?' He never tortured her, ever. He's not Machiavellian or sadistic in that way. She is just another encounter on an average day in his life. He just so happens to have a conversation with her because there's nothing else to do while he's using her as bait. There is no glee, he’s just not getting anything from being mean to her. He doesn't think he’s being mean to her." [4] In an interview with IGN , showrunner Graham Wagner spoke of the advantages of having a character who's lived through two separate eras of history. He said, "Yeah, I think it's what we were interested in is how can you make one man two completely different characters? And the answer is time. You don't have time and you're going to come out different. So yeah, he is a cynic and he is nihilistic, but it is earned. We like to think." [13] Goggins stated that, when portraying the character, he had to figure out "who Cooper Howard was" before he could determine how he wanted to play the Ghoul's character. Goggins watched many Westerns before filming in order to help get a feel for the character. [14] He considered the performance a "once in a lifetime experience." [10]

Prosthetics for the character took five hours to put on the first time it was done, though subsequent times to apply prosthetics on Goggins took two hours. [15] Goggins would watch Western films while prosthetics were applied. [14] Filming took place in hot temperatures, which resulted in discomfort for Goggins, who required heavy prosthetics to portray the Ghoul. [15] The Ghoul's teeth, which were retainers placed onto the Goggins' teeth, also initially caused him issues with speaking, though he adapted as filming progressed. [16]

Appearances

The Ghoul is introduced in "The End" in the year 2296 as an infamous mutant bounty hunter. Throughout the first season, his cruelty and cynicism clashes with Lucy MacLean's naivety and optimism. In "The Ghouls", she mercifully saves his life after he leaves her for dead. After parting ways with Lucy, the Ghoul continues his mission as a bounty hunter, along the way adopting Dr. Wilzig's dog CX404 and renaming her "Dogmeat". In the season finale "The Beginning", the Ghoul forms a truce with Lucy and begins tracking Hank MacLean with her and Dogmeat.

The first season also depicts the Ghoul's pre-war life as Cooper Howard, a Hollywood actor with a wife and daughter in 2077. At his wife Barb's urging, he becomes a spokesman for Vault-Tec and eventually becomes the inspiration for their mascot Vault Boy. However, he ultimately cuts ties with the company after discovering the unethical conspiracy at the heart of the organization, which his wife is part of.

Other media

Among other characters from the TV series, the Ghoul was added to Fallout Shelter in a free update releasing alongside the show. [17] The same week, an update to Fallout 76 added the Ghoul's outfit from the show as a cosmetic item. [18]

Reception

Nerdist named the Ghoul among the best new characters of 2024 in either film or television. [19] Reviewing Fallout Season 1, Paul Tassi of Forbes said that the character's casting was "spot-on" and praised his dual nature within the narrative structure. [20] Writing for TheWrap , William Goodman praised the chemistry between Goggins and Ella Purnell, writing "It's no surprise that 'Fallout' crackles like a Geiger counter in the red during the moments Goggins and Purnell are on-screen together — something the show should lean into even more for its potential second season." [21] Nicholas Quah of Vulture drew comparisons between the Ghoul and the Man in Black from Westworld , Nolan's previous series. In particular, Quah highlighted both characters' disillusionment with humanity and use of flashbacks in the narrative. [22]

Following the reveal that Cooper Howard was the inspiration for Vault Boy, Polygon 's Michael McWhertor praised the twist as a device showing the character's eventual decline in 2077 before his transformation into the Ghoul. [23] Jordan Todoruk, writing for Collider , praised the Ghoul's backstory, citing that his honorable personality helped make him an appealing character to viewers, while the Ghoul's tragic past helped connect the world of the series in an interesting manner for viewers. [24] Wesley Yin-Poole of IGN cited the character's popularity as the reason for an announced update for Fallout 76 that will allow players to create ghoul characters. [25]

The Ghoul has been highlighted by viewers of the series for his attractiveness, with fanworks relating to the character being released in vast numbers following the release of the series. [26] Lauren Morton, writing for PC Gamer , stated that this was a result of the Ghoul's villainous personality appealing to viewers. She also stated that this stemmed from the character of John Hancock from the video games, and that Hancock's romance helped set the mold for the Ghoul's role in the series. [27] Goggins later shared a Tweet by a fan discussing the Ghoul's attractiveness on his Instagram account. [28]

For his performance, Goggins received his second Primetime Emmy Award nomination, having previously been nominated in 2011 for his role in Justified . [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Fallout</i> (franchise) Video game seriеs

Fallout is a media franchise of post-apocalyptic role-playing video games created by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, at Interplay Entertainment. The series is set during the first half of the 3rd millennium, and its atompunk retrofuturistic setting and artwork are influenced by the post-war culture of the 1950s United States, with its combination of hope for the promises of technology and the lurking fear of nuclear annihilation. Fallout is regarded as a spiritual successor to Wasteland, a 1988 game developed by Interplay Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walton Goggins</span> American actor (born 1971)

Walton Sanders Goggins Jr. is an American actor. He has starred in various television series, including The Shield (2002–2008), Justified (2010–2015), Vice Principals (2016–2017), The Righteous Gemstones (2019–present), Invincible (2021–present), and Fallout (2024–present). He was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Justified, and then later for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Fallout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Nolan</span> British and American screenwriter (born 1976)

Jonathan Nolan is a British and American screenwriter and producer. He is the creator of the CBS science fiction series Person of Interest (2011–2016) and co-creator of the HBO science fiction/Western series Westworld (2016–2022).

<i>Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel</i> 2001 video game

Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel is a turn-based real-time tactical role-playing game set in the post-apocalyptic Fallout universe. Developed by Micro Forté and published by 14 Degrees East, Fallout Tactics was released on 14 March 2001 for Microsoft Windows. It had sold over 300,000 units worldwide by 2008.

Dogmeat (<i>Fallout</i>) Non-player character dog in the Fallout series

Dogmeat is the name given to various dogs featured in the post-apocalyptic role-playing game series Fallout. Dogmeat was introduced as an optional companion to the player character in the original Fallout (1997), and made a cameo appearance in Fallout 2 (1998). Other dogs named Dogmeat are featured and serve similar roles in Fallout 3 (2008), Fallout 4 (2015), and in the American post-apocalyptic drama television series Fallout (2024).

<i>Fallout</i> (video game) 1997 video game

Fallout is a 1997 role-playing video game developed and published by Interplay Productions, set in a mid-22nd century post-apocalyptic and retro-futuristic world, decades after a nuclear war between the United States and China. Fallout's protagonist, the Vault Dweller, inhabits an underground nuclear shelter. The player must scour the surrounding wasteland for a computer chip that can fix the Vault's failed water supply system. They interact with other survivors, some of whom give them quests, and engage in turn-based combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vault Boy</span> Mascot of the Fallout series

Vault Boy is the mascot of the Fallout media franchise. Created by staff at Interplay Entertainment, the original owners of the Fallout intellectual property, Vault Boy was introduced in 1997's Fallout as an advertising character representing Vault-Tec, a fictional megacorporation that built a series of specialized fallout shelters throughout the United States prior to the nuclear holocaust that sets up the world state of the Fallout universe. Within the video game series, Vault Boy serves as a representation of the player character's statistical information within user interface (UI) menus, and is a recurring element in Vault-Tec products found throughout the fictional Fallout universe. In the 2024 Fallout television series, Vault Boy is depicted as having been inspired by Vault-Tec advertisements featuring fictional actor Cooper Howard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Purnell</span> English actress (born 1996)

Ella Summer Purnell is an English actress. She began her career as a child actress in West End theatre and films such as Never Let Me Go (2010), Intruders (2011), and Maleficent (2014). Her other films include Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), Churchill (2017), and Army of the Dead (2021).

Ghoul (<i>Fallout</i>) Fictional species in the Fallout franchise

Ghouls are a fictional race of posthuman beings from the post-apocalyptic Fallout video game franchise. Within series lore, ghouls are originally humans, many of them survivors of a global nuclear holocaust, who have been severely mutated by the residual radiation, which greatly extends their lifespans but deforms their physical appearance into a zombie-like presentation. Many ghouls live alongside humans in settlements across the post-apocalyptic wasteland, while others mentally degenerate into a violently feral and antisocial state.

The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and causes the collapse of society. The first season, based on 2013's The Last of Us, follows Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting immune teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States. The second season, expected to partly adapt 2020's The Last of Us Part II, is set five years later and introduces Abby.

<i>Fallout</i> (American TV series) 2024 American television series

Fallout is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the role-playing video game franchise created by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, the series stars Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, Moisés Arias, Xelia Mendes-Jones, and Walton Goggins.

"The End" is the series premiere of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series Fallout. The episode was written by series developers Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner and directed by executive producer Jonathan Nolan. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on April 10, 2024, alongside the rest of the season.

"The Head" is the third episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series Fallout. The episode was written by series developers Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner and directed by executive producer Jonathan Nolan. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on April 10, 2024, alongside the rest of the season.

"The Ghouls" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series Fallout. The episode was written by co-executive producer Kieran Fitzgerald and directed by co-executive producer Daniel Gray Longino. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on April 10, 2024, alongside the rest of the season.

"The Trap" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series Fallout. The episode was written by co-executive producer Karey Dornetto and directed by Frederick E. O. Toye. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on April 10, 2024, alongside the rest of the season.

"The Radio" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series Fallout. The episode was written by Chaz Hawkins and directed by Frederick E. O. Toye and Clare Kilner. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on April 10, 2024, alongside the rest of the season.

"The Beginning" is the eighth and final episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series Fallout. The episode was written by producer Gursimran Sandhu and directed by Wayne Yip. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on April 10, 2024, alongside the rest of the season.

"The Target" is the second episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series Fallout. The episode was written by series developers Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner and directed by executive producer Jonathan Nolan. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on April 10, 2024, alongside the rest of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New California Republic</span> Fictional republic

The New California Republic (NCR) is a fictional post-War republic from the post-apocalyptic Fallout franchise. Operating primarily out of Southern California, it serves as an attempted governing body for the wasteland, including some portions of Oregon and Nevada, along with further colonization efforts in Arizona and the Baja California area of Mexico.

<i>Fallout</i> (soundtrack) 2024 soundtrack album by Ramin Djawadi

Fallout (Original Amazon Series Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2024 Amazon Prime Video post-apocalyptic drama television series Fallout, based on the video game franchise of the same name. The soundtrack features musical score composed by Ramin Djawadi and was released through Amazon Content Services on April 8, 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 Lammers, Tim (July 17, 2024). "Emmy Nominations: 'Fallout' And The Ghoul Actor Walton Goggins Nab Nods". Forbes . Archived from the original on August 28, 2024.
  2. ↑ Otterson, Joe (February 18, 2022). "'Fallout' TV Series at Amazon Casts Walton Goggins". Variety . Archived from the original on August 14, 2024.
  3. ↑ Monagle, Matt (April 2, 2024). "Fallout: A Wasteland Survival Guide to the New TV Series". IGN .
  4. 1 2 Directo-Meston, Danielle (June 17, 2024). "'Fallout' Star Walton Goggins on Bringing Swagger to the Gunslinging Ghoul". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  5. ↑ Grobar, Matt (June 21, 2024). "How Prosthetics Designer Jake Garber Transformed Walton Goggins Into The Ghoul For Prime Video's Hit Video Game Adaptation 'Fallout' – The Process". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 1, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Exclusive: Fallout TV show star explains how they removed The Ghoul's nose". Digital Spy . April 10, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  7. ↑ Breznican, Anthony (November 28, 2023). "Exclusive Fallout First Look: This Is How the World Ends—With a Smiling Thumbs-Up". Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on November 6, 2024.
  8. ↑ Fleming, Ryan (June 10, 2024). "'Fallout' Costume Designer Amy Westcott On Following The "Skeleton Of The Game" & Elevating The Style – Production Value". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on October 5, 2024.
  9. ↑ Diaz, Ana (April 25, 2024). "Fallout's costume designer explains why The Ghoul looks so hot". Polygon . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Radish, Christina (April 10, 2024). "'Fallout's Walton Goggins Explains Why The Ghoul Had To Be Sexy". Collider . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  11. ↑ O'Rourke, Ryan (December 2, 2023). "'Fallout's Walton Goggins Reveals Which Classic Westerns Inspired The Ghoul". Collider . Archived from the original on December 3, 2023.
  12. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (March 7, 2024). "New Fallout trailer gives us our best look yet at Walton Goggins' fascinating Ghoul". Polygon . Archived from the original on April 25, 2024.
  13. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (December 4, 2023). "The Big Fallout TV Show Interview With Jonathan Nolan, Walton Goggins, and More". IGN . Archived from the original on July 27, 2024.
  14. 1 2 Manfredi, Lucas (April 11, 2024). "How 'Fallout' Star Walton Goggins Found the Humanity in The Ghoul". TheWrap . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  15. 1 2 Moreau, Jordan (April 10, 2024). "'Fallout' Star Walton Goggins Talks Adapting Nuclear Video Game, Ghoul Sweat and Shooting in 100-Degree Heat: 'It Was F—ing Hot'". Variety . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  16. ↑ Piccoli, Sean (April 13, 2024). "'Fallout's Walton Goggins: It's "Extremely Anxiety Provoking" To Sit In The Makeup Chair To Become The Ghoul — Contenders TV". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  17. ↑ Webster, Andrew (April 12, 2024). "Oh no, I started playing Fallout Shelter again". The Verge . Archived from the original on September 10, 2024.
  18. ↑ Reeves, Brianna (April 11, 2024). "Fallout 76 gets new content based on TV show alongside free play week". Dexerto . Archived from the original on April 21, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Nerdist's Best Characters of 2024". Nerdist . December 4, 2024. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024.
  20. ↑ Tassi, Paul (April 10, 2024). "'Fallout' Review (Amazon Prime Video): I Have Some Good News". Forbes . Archived from the original on May 20, 2024.
  21. ↑ Goodman, William (April 10, 2024). "'Fallout' Review: Walton Goggins Is the Monstrous Heart of Amazon's Lively Video Game Adaptation". TheWrap . Archived from the original on October 3, 2024.
  22. ↑ Quah, Nicholas (April 10, 2024). "In Fallout, the Joke Is on Humanity". Vulture . Archived from the original on August 18, 2024.
  23. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (April 11, 2024). "The Fallout TV show gives the game's mascot an origin story that matters". Polygon . Archived from the original on May 8, 2024.
  24. ↑ Todoruk, Jordan (April 21, 2024). "'Fallout's Best Character Is Also the Show's Most Tragic". Collider . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  25. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (June 9, 2024). "After the Fallout TV Show's Breakout Success, Fallout 76 Will Finally Let Fans Play as a Ghoul". IGN .
  26. ↑ Malas, Rhianna (May 2, 2024). "It's Okay, We Can Admit The Ghoul From 'Fallout' Is Hot". Collider . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  27. ↑ Morton, Lauren (April 23, 2024). "Of course Fallout fans are thirsty for The Ghoul—this isn't the first time everyone's fallen for an irradiated guy". PC Gamer . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  28. ↑ Bevan, Rhiannon (April 19, 2024). "Walton Goggins Is Aware That People Are Thirsting Over His Fallout Character". TheGamer . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.