Walton Goggins Played A Small Part In One Of The Best Martial Arts Franchise Of All Time

Whether he is playing a mutant bounty hunter in "Fallout" or portraying a Bible-quoting criminal in "Justified," Walton Goggins typically owns every movie and TV show he signs up for. These days, it's rare to see him not play main characters, but that success didn't happen overnight. After all, the vast majority of the world's most talented and famous actors cut their teeth in small supporting roles, and Goggins is no different, as evidenced by his overlooked tenure in "The Karate Kid" franchise.

Goggins plays Charlie in "The Next Karate Kid," marking one of the many villain roles in the actor's oeuvre. Charlie is the student of Michael Ironside's vicious Colonel Dugan, who runs a militaristic school security program known as the Alpha Elite, often beating up own cadets to make an example out of them. Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) and his new sensei, Julie (Hilary Swank), ultimately become targeted by the group, leading to some showdowns that resort in fisticuffs.

Despite being part of an all-time great martial arts franchise, "The Next Karate Kid" doesn't get the love it deserves, which explains why it isn't viewed as one of Goggins' best outings as an actor. What's more, Charlie isn't the part the "Justified" star originally auditioned for, as he felt he was the perfect fit for another standout villain. That said, the "Next Karate Kid" experience led to a chance encounter with one of Goggins' Hollywood heroes, so it wasn't all bad.

Getting any role in a hit franchise like "The Karate Kid" is a great gig for any young actor, but Walton Goggins didn't set out to play Charlie. While speaking to "Entertainment Tonight" (via Popculture), the actor recalled auditioning for the role of Ned in "The Next Karate Kid" — the character played by Michael Cavalieri in the film. Naturally, Goggins was disappointed about losing out to his co-star, but the "White Lotus" alum is humble enough to admit that he got his hopes up too much. In his own words:

"I went in first and I killed it and I was just looking at [Cavalieri] like, 'You may as well go home.' Michael went in second and then I heard him screaming from inside the room, he got the job, right, I didn't get it."

Fortunately, the sting of losing out was soothed by the legendary Warren Beatty, who was hanging around the studio lot that day. According to Goggins, the veteran took pity on him and offered some encouraging words of wisdom, letting him know that everything would work out. Well, it turns out the veteran was right, as Goggins built up the confidence to call Christopher Cain, the director of "The Next Karate Kid," to ask if he could play Charlie, adding that he just wanted to learn from the pros. Goggins was offered the role later that day, and the rest is, as they say, history. Sadly, he didn't reprise the role of Charlie in Netflix's "Karate Kid" spin-off "Cobra Kai," but at least he's been doing pretty well outside of the martial arts franchise.