In Character: John Goodman

Since I began my In Character series nearly five years ago, readers have consistently requested that I cover John Goodman. And for good reason. After all, John Goodman is THE character actor’s character actor, and he’s good in anything, no matter the quality of the overall project. But he’s a tough actor to summarize. His body of work is massive (144 current film and television credits), and his range is impeccable. So over the years, I’ve been stuck: do I list my favorite Goodman performances, or do I present a more balanced portrait of his full capabilities as an actor (i.e. a villain, a good guy, a goof, a “straight” man, etc.)? Ultimately, I just said screw it and went with the former. So, below is not an all-inclusive look at Goodman’s career, but rather the roles I remain most fond of. Do feel free to share yours as well!

Five Essential Roles

Raising Arizona (1987)

Gale Snoats

For his most famous pre-Roseanne role (and his first collaboration with the Coen brothers), Goodman played escape convict dummy, Gale Snoats, with fiery glee. You can tell, even this early in his career, that Goodman had no shame in embracing The Weird in his characters. I mean really, who can forget Goodman screaming his head off as he emerges from a bottomless pit of mud next to a prison? Or Goodman and William Forsythe screaming in panic as they speed down a desolate highway in search of the baby they’ve just stolen? It’s a relatively small role for Goodman, but one that was essential to the development of his career.

Roseanne (1988-1997)

Dan Conner

Whether you were a fan of the show or not (I was always more of a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air kind of kid), there’s no denying the impact of Roseanne, and Goodman’s incredible work in it. Goodman’s seamless chemistry with on-screen wife, Roseanne Barr, coupled with the show’s relentless pursuit of real, middle America problems, changed the sitcom landscape. Goodman starred in each of the show’s 221 episodes, and I can’t possibly remember them all. But I’m most drawn to Season 6, which features the hilarious mystery marijuana episode “A Stash From the Past” and the dramatic “Lies My Father Told Me,” in which Dan opens old family wounds. That season helped Goodman win a Golden Globe, which would, shockingly, remain his only notable award for playing Dan Conner.

Barton Fink (1991)

Charlie Meadows

There’s something to be said for the affable psychopath. When we meet them, they’re so nice that we don’t think twice about them. But when we learn how batshit crazy they are, we keep waiting for the beast within to storm its way out. That’s Charlie Meadows, the big-boned, lighthearted, ear-leaking insurance salesmen who befriends Barton Fink (John Turturro). It’s such a joy to see Barton and Charlie get on so well early in the film. But when cops inform Barton of Charlie’s psychotic tendencies, the film is taken to a much more interesting place. Will Charlie turn on Barton? Will he protect him? Help him, even? Charlie Meadows is damn near Goodman’s best work; a role only John Goodman could play, and play so well.

Matinee (1993)

Lawrence Woolsey

My favorite of Goodman’s “fun” roles. As fun as his early ‘90s streak of hammed up work in films like Arachnophobia, King Ralph, and The Babe are, nothing tops Matinee. Much of this can be credited to the fact that Matinee was a staple of my childhood. Repeat viewings were common, which meant Goodman’s small-town dreams/big-time heart movie producer, Lawrence Woolsey, was constantly on my mind. I rewatched Matinee for this post, and I felt like a kid again, thanks much in part to Goodman’s zany work in it. And sometimes, there is simply no better feeling than that.

Treme (2010-2011)

Creighton Bernette

Just once, I’d love a David Simon show to be popular while it’s actually on the air. But, alas, all of his incredible work with HBO (The Corner, The Wire, Generation Kill, Treme, Show Me a Hero) either gained praise after they aired, if they gained any at all. Treme was particularly brutal. The show was critically adored but virtually ignored by viewers, and thereby cancelled after three and a half seasons. But the few of us who got in early and stuck around for good were privy to some of the best work HBO has ever put out.

Right out of the gate in the show’s opening episode, Goodman’s Creighton Bernette was one of Treme’s main draws. A professor at Tulane University, Creighton was an articulate family man who enjoyed passionately defending his city of New Orleans. This included starting a web series laced with profane rants against the New Orleans system, and the people who ran it. If you’re looking for a new show, do give Treme a chance. If nothing else, I promise it contains some of Goodman’s best work.

The Best of the Best

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Walter Sobchak

It just has to be Walter. The endlessly quotable, hilariously manic, wildly crass Walter. It’s a role so iconic, a performance so embedded in pop culture, that I struggle to think of what I can add to the conversation. What I will say is that playing a character as big as Walter is a huge gamble. You’re turned to 11 in every scene. You’re crazy, nonsensical, loud, tough to like – you’re big. It’s a performance so large that it could turn audiences off, which may help explain why the film performed so poorly when it was initially released. But now, of course, Walter Sobchak is an icon. He’s right up there with the finest characters the Coen brothers have ever created. There is no end to my enjoyment in watching Walter convince Donny (Steve Buscemi) and The Dude (Jeff Bridges) to follow his outlandish schemes. I can watch The Big Lebowski daily and laugh throughout every single time. Like all of Goodman’s best roles, it’s impossible to imagine someone else inhabiting Walter so effectively. It’s script, performance, and actor, married together flawlessly.

Other Notable Roles

in Inside Llewyn Davis

Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
The Big Easy (1986)

Punchline (1988)

Sea of Love (1989)

Arachnophobia (1990)

King Ralph (1991)

The Babe (1992)

The Flintstones (1994)

Fallen (1997)

Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Coyote Ugly (2000)

Normal, Ohio (2000)

Storytelling (2001)

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

The West Wing (2003-2004)

Beyond the Sea (2004)

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006)

In the Electric Mist (2009)

You Don’t Know Jack (2010)

Red State (2011)

The Artist (2011)

Damages (2011)

Community (2011-2012)

Argo (2012)

Trouble with the Curve (2012)

Flight (2012)

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Alpha House (2013-2014)

The Gambler (2014)

Trumbo (2015)