When news hit that HBO was once again exploring the idea of a “Deadwood” feature film, fans were reluctant to believe anything. It’s been over a decade since the series ended its run, prematurely, and viewers had grown accustomed to hearing rumors about a film, with nothing to show for it. However, once it became official, it happened so quickly. And now, we’re mere weeks away from seeing “Deadwood: The Movie” arrive on our TV screens.
But according to Timothy Olyphant, star of the series (and subsequent film), it wasn’t ever a guarantee that “Deadwood” would come back. Specifically, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to come back.
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“It’s a curious [thing] deciding on whether to do a job when all of your old friends have already committed to it and you kind of think, ‘Well, I’ve never been in a position to be such an asshole,’” said Olyphant in an interview with TV Line. “But it was [ultimately] a really wonderful process with David Milch and Dan Minahan and Carolyn Strauss. I had a lot of conversations with them.”
So why the initial hesitation? Well, for Olyphant, it was a matter of deciding whether he’s willing to come back to a project that is so far in his past, or if he’d rather leave it in the rearview mirror.
“High school reunions can be a lot of fun,” the actor said. “But repeating your sophomore year? Not so fun. And I couldn’t tell if this was going to be the former or the latter. I didn’t know what it was going to feel like. Is it just going to be a lovely reunion, or is going to feel like, ‘Jesus, I’m being asked to do things I regret?’”
Olyphant was asked if he felt the same way as fans did about the end of the series, where people thought “Deadwood” didn’t get the proper finale that it deserved, leaving very little closure.
He replied, “Perhaps it’s my own shortcomings, but I’ve never thought of a character ever needing closure. There is no character; it’s just a bunch of lines on a page. I think of it as a job.”
READ MORE: Timothy Olyphant Says There’s “No F—ing Way” A ‘Deadwood’ Film Will Happen
Despite the hesitance at first, the actor revealed that the end result was well worth it, and turned out to be a proper send-off for his character and the popular HBO series.
“It was so bizarre. It was so surreal. And lovely. [Pauses] It was way more moving than I could’ve imagined. And way more rewarding than I could’ve imagined. I underestimated how much those people meant to me,” he said.
He would later add, “It’s a lovely goodbye. It is a very lovely goodbye. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
“Deadwood: The Movie” hits HBO on May 31.