Warning! This article contains spoilers for season 2, episode 9 of The Righteous Gemstones
The Righteous Gemstones star Walton Goggins reacts to Macaulay Culkin's surprise cameo during season 2, episode 9 of the HBO series. Created by Danny McBride, the dark comedy acts as a satire of the megachurch industry and its long tradition of deception and greed. Season 1 premiered in August of 2019 and introduced a dysfunctional family of televangelists and pastors played by Goggins, McBride, John Goodman, Edi Patterson, Adam DeVine, Cassidy Freeman, and Skyler Gisondo. Since returning to HBO last month, the series has only expanded its ensemble cast with appearances from Eric André and Joe Jonas.
While season 1 mostly focused on the immature Gemstone children and the opulent lives they lead courtesy of church donations, The Righteous Gemstones season 2 shifts the focus to their widowed patriarch, Eli (Goodman), as he comes to terms with his dark past. Also in season 1, Eli's estranged brother-in-law, "Baby" Billy Freeman (Goggins), is brought into the fold to run a shopping mall-based megachurch. Throughout season 2, both Eli and Baby Billy have been grappling with the ghosts of their pasts. And during the season's penultimate episode, Billy and Goggins were met with a significant surprise in the form of a cameo Goggins didn't even know about.
During an interview with The Ringer, Goggins reacted to Macaulay Culkin's surprise cameo from episode 9. Until they filmed their scene together, the Baby Billy actor had no idea Culkin had been cast as his character's estranged child, Harmon Freeman. When he found out about the Home Alone star's unannounced appearance, Goggins remembers exclaiming, "Are you f--king kidding me right now?" Before the scene, Goggins avoided talking to Culkin to help create a sense of tension and unfamiliarity between the two. Read his full reaction to the cameo below:
When I found out, “I was like, "Are you f--ing kidding me right now?" I remember seeing him kind of beforehand and just kind of gave a little nod. I don’t know if he wanted to talk more or not. I didn’t really give him a chance. We rehearsed it really kind of once, just kind of without even really reading through it. Just kind of throwing things out. I remember just staring at him for a very long time and [him] not saying a word. And it was very tense, actually.
Ever since season 2, episode 4 began in 1993 with Goggins' character abandoning his wife and son in a mall, it was clear that Baby Billy's past as an absentee father would eventually catch up with him in the present day. By the end of the same episode, he's abandoned his third wife, Tiffany (Vale Hall). Later, he is visited by his sister Aimee-Leigh's (Jennifer Nettles) ghost who convinces him to reconcile with Harmon, so he heads to his home unannounced, setting the stage for the father-son reunion.
The absurd meeting between Goggins and Culkin's characters (which ends with Harmon punching Baby Billy in the face as a means of reconciliation) is the perfect encapsulation of the show's outrageous brand of comedy mixed with honesty. The Righteous Gemstones has been renewed for a third season by HBO, though it's unclear if there are plans for Culkin to return as Harmon. Fans are almost certainly interested in seeing more hilarious interactions between the two.
Source: The Ringer