By Few actors slip between gritty prestige drama, eccentric comedy, and menacing villainy quite like Garret Dillahunt. From his chameleonic dual turns as Jack McCall and Francis Wolcott in HBO’s Deadwood to his memorable presence in modern western classics like No Country for Old Men and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Dillahunt has spent decades proving he is one of the industry’s most versatile performers. Whether stealing scenes on television in Justified, Fear the Walking Dead, and Raising Hope, or popping up in films like 12 Years a Slave and Looper, he brings an unmistakable, layered authenticity to every role. Now, Dillahunt returns to HBO in a standout role in the critically acclaimed DC Studios drama Lanterns.
Created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, Lanterns trades sprawling intergalactic battlefields for a grounded, pressure-cooker noir set firmly on Earth. The series pairs seasoned, world-weary Green Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) with ambitious recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). When an unsettling, violent crime strikes the American heartland of rural Nebraska, the two intergalactic peacekeepers are drawn into a web of localized corruption that hides terrifying cosmic implications. At the center of that rural web sits William Macon, brought to life by Dillahunt with a sharp balance of folksy charisma and quiet menace. Macon is a powerful local figure deeply entrenched in the town’s secrets and suspicious of anyone encroaching on his domain.
When I sat down with Dillahunt to discuss the series, our conversation turned to the critical crossroads awaiting Macon in the upcoming fourth and fifth episodes. While the early chapters set up Macon as a formidable obstacle to the investigating Lanterns, these next two episodes pull back the curtain on his true motivations, pushing his arc toward a dramatic turning point that fundamentally shifts the season’s stakes. Without spoiling what’s ahead, Dillahunt hinted that viewers will see Macon’s control tested like never before—setting off ripples that will echo well beyond Nebraska’s borders.
JoBlo: Big, big fan of yours for years, Garret. Very excited to talk to you about Lanterns. By the time people watch this, they’re probably already going to see that pivotal halfway point in the season where all of this stuff is revealed, and we learn about a lot of the true identities and what’s going on. I think I read somewhere how you kind of helped develop who this character was and who William Macon is and how he fits into things. Since Macon is a fully original character that was not beholden to anything from the comics, did you look at other similar characters from Green Lantern comic books and think, “I could incorporate elements of this into my character?”
Garret Dillahunt: I didn’t. As you were talking, I was racking my brain to think what interview I’ve given where I said that I—I helped develop this guy. I hope I haven’t done that because I just played my part. You know, I know this is not someone from the comics, and this is someone that, you know… Look, we got Damon Lindelof, we got Chris Mundy, we got Tom King, we got some legit storytellers here, and I don’t know. I think they wrote this guy and then thought of someone who could play it well, and I mean, I guess I hope that, and so they called me. But it is certainly a—certainly someone whose skin I feel like I slipped into pretty comfortably. I don’t know if that’s because I’ve worked with these wranglers before, or what it is, but I just think he’s a—it’s—it’s a pretty great anti-villain or something. I don’t know what to even call him. I don’t know if he’s a villain or just a different idea.
JoBlo: I think for a long time, I think most of the ’90s, the idea of a western felt like it was antiquated, and we didn’t see a lot of really good, well-made westerns. And now, the mentality of westerns, and you know, you’ve got experience playing in Deadwood and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. I think that elements of that have just always been a staple of American storytelling. Did you approach playing this character as a cowboy and imbue it with a cowboy sensibility or was that something that was just kind of secondary in the nature of where this series is set?
Garret Dillahunt: Well, I mean, I think that’s—that’s what he’s written, you know. I think he’s by all appearances a ranch owner, and then we find out he’s basically just a ranch caretaker. But he’s the boss of this ranch, you know. He rides a horse and he has a militia. That’s a little odd, you know, but he’s got the room for it. He’s got the acreage. So I feel like my job was just to play the part that was written, and hopefully make him seem human and, you know, three or four-dimensional. But I think there’s a lot of raw material there. Sometimes you got to do all that extra work when it’s not there in the writing. You know what I mean? I’m sure that writers feel the same way. Sometimes I’m like, “This actor can’t quite get this. I’m gonna have to alter this a little bit to accommodate.” You know, I’m sure it goes both ways. But in a situation like this, I’m just trying to hold up my end. You know, it’s great people, great other actors around me, and I’m like, okay, take the ball when it’s my turn, you know.
JoBlo: Absolutely. I love that in these episodes that I have seen….
Garret Dillahunt: Have you seen them all?
JoBlo: I’ve seen everything except for the season finale.
Garret Dillahunt: Same with me.
JoBlo: When I wrote my review, I’ve been telling everybody before the show premiered, this is such an awesome show. This is now the benchmark and it’s raising the bar. I love that it’s like True Detective meets Watchmen. It’s got all of these elements, but it’s beyond being just a superhero story. It’s just a great series in general.
Garret Dillahunt: Wow, thank you.
JoBlo: Looking at the special effects work in it. It’s awesome. The production values are stellar for you. Not necessarily getting to do a lot of the special effects-heavy stuff, was there any particular scene to you that was more daunting than others? And you know, I’m thinking in particular, you’ve got that nude scene in Episode Four “The Weenie”, which is probably a bit of a challenge to act in that moment. But was there anything particular for you that you thought, “This is like a really high watermark in terms of challenging for me as an actor”?
Garret Dillahunt: Yeah, well, I mean that’s certainly the scene that leaps out to me. I’ve never had to do such an extensive one before. I’ve been naked before on stage and a few times on screen, and honestly, I just thought those days were over. And I wasn’t upset about it, you know, but I guess this is how my bread is buttered from top to bottom of my career. You have time to get ready for it, you know, he was supposed to be someone who’s sort of preternaturally fit for a guy his age, and they gave me time to do that. I thought I looked a little skinny. I was all excited because I got up to 200 pounds. I’ve never weighed 200 pounds before, and I was like, “Look at me! I’m huge!” And then I saw it; I still look kind of skinny. But that was daunting, just to try to be cool. And Kyle Chandler, at one point between takes, he was like, “You seem pretty comfortable without your clothes on.” And I was like, “I’m a really good actor.” It is the least comfortable thing. But it just worked for the scene, you know.
I think I took a lot of…I don’t know what the word would be…energy from that, a lot of comfort from that. That was like, you know, this isn’t just sensationalist. This is weird and works for the scene. It’s supposed to be sort of weirdly uncomfortable and kind of funny. And you see this guy’s ass padding around, putting on an album or something, it’s just weird, you know. Like, who is this guy trying to intimidate people who are supposedly fearless? You know, that seems like a really daunting, impossible task.
JoBlo: And with your interactions working with Aaron Pierre and Kelly Macdonald and with Kyle, like you said, was there anybody that you were interacting with that, because you’ve worked with so many phenomenal actors in your career, was there anybody in this that you worked with and you were just like, “Wow, this is—this is feels like something really special that we’ve got going on in this series”?
Garret Dillahunt: Well, it’s funny because there were, you know, I’d gotten reunited with Kelly, hadn’t seen her… well, certainly hadn’t worked with her since No Country for Old Men, and I think she’s just doing amazing work, by the by, just completely different than I thought. She’s just kind of odd, and—and she’s so funny, and her little undercuts. Jason Ritter and I have done work off-Broadway, like on stage before, and it was—it’s just wild to see him all grown up and a father in his own right.
I didn’t know Kyle or Aaron before, but I feel like I’ve known Kyle for about 30 years. You know, he’s one of those people that just makes you feel like you’re buds. We’re about to go take a motorcycle trip together for about 10 days, and that’s just odd behavior in my business. That sort of open, welcoming thing. And Aaron, I’m still kind of surprised how many people hadn’t heard of him before this. He was sort of a shooting star on my little radar, this comet coming across our little universe, and I think John Stewart, the character, was waiting for Aaron to show up, you know? Because he just plays him perfectly, and he looks great. He looks like a superhero. You know, he trains really hard. He works really hard at what he does. You know, he’s a little bit oddball, which I think makes him even more special. But everyone was just so kind, and I think after the strikes and after, you know, the lockdown, we all were just so grateful to have such a good job and supported so much by the studio, and there was such anticipation for the James Gunn universe and what they’re doing. The Penguin was just amazing, and I was like, “Oh, I love The Penguin, and I—I want to be a part of something like that.” It’s one of those sets where there’s a ton of trucks, and you’re like, “Oh, they got money. We got sets. We got…” Yeah. I don’t want to be the weak link of this.
JoBlo: What about any cast members you don’t share direct screen time with?
Garret Dillahunt: Everybody kind of keeps ratcheting up their game with every great actor they kept adding. Ulrich, you know, is a friend of mine from a long time ago, and he’s one of the best actors on earth. Laura Linney, I remember having a crush on her when I was getting out of NYU and she was coming out of Juilliard, and she’s just such class and such pedigree. So I think just the presence of them alone, let alone names like Lindelof and Mundy, and you know, you just don’t want to drop the ball. And I like being motivated like that.
JoBlo: Well, Lanterns is definitely ranking right up there alongside The Penguin as two of my all-time favorite comic book series ever. And I really appreciate your time today, and I cannot wait to check out the final episode. I’m looking forward to it. Thank you so much.
Garret Dillahunt: Thank you, too. Are you a comic book guy?
JoBlo: I am. For a long time on the site, my photo was me wearing a Green Lantern T-shirt. So, oh yeah, kind of full circle awesome moment.
Garret Dillahunt: And are these albums behind you? I’ve been looking at them. Yeah, this is cool.
JoBlo: All my current rotations albums.
Garret Dillahunt: It’s a very cool room you’ve got here. It’s hard to focus sometimes. I’m like, “Ooh, look at that.”
JoBlo: Thanks. I do interviews all the time, and people get distracted by the stuff.
Garret Dillahunt: Don’t albums—don’t albums make the best wall art? Like, I love albums on the wall. Comics too, but albums in particular just, like, they should be up on walls.
JoBlo: They are. They’re works of art, and I rotate them.
Garret Dillahunt: So smart. I love that room. But it was great talking to you, too.
Lanterns airs new episodes Sundays on HBO
The post Interview: Garret Dillahunt discusses the pivotal fourth and fifth episodes of HBO and DC’s Lanterns including his nude scene and more appeared first on JoBlo.
