Timothy Olyphant on returning to ‘Justified’: 'I cried like a baby on that last day'

PASADENA, Calif. – A wisecracking Timothy Olyphant had no hesitation putting on Raylan Givens’ cowboy hat again.

FX extends its six-season “Justified” series that wrapped in 2015 with an eight-part revival, “Justified: City Primeval” set to debut this summer. Famed novelist Elmore Leonard created the character of Raylan, after meeting a fan named Raylan Givens at a book festival, said Leonard's son Peter, an executive producer on the revival. "My father took a beat and thought, 'That's one of the best names I've ever heard in my life,'" said Peter. "And he then thought, 'That's a book.'" 

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Olyphant, 54, feigned worry about reprising his role Thursday. 

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"My biggest concern was that I would only make a lot of money, that creatively it would have been a huge mistake," he joked. "I really didn't have any concerns. I love these guys. And Elmore Leonard and (series creator) Graham Yost gave us so much material to launch what I've always thought was potentially numerous stories. I thought as long as we were still in the Elmore Leonard world and the Graham Yost world that the two of them created, I just thought I'd love to be there for it."

Olyphant said he faced a "very deep sadness" when the original show ended, "not because of the character, but because of the people that I was working with and how much I had enjoyed being in their company, let alone being able to collaborate with them. I cried like a baby on that last day."

He said he'd be up for revisiting the character for future seasons.

The new installment, set in Detroit, chronicles the relationship between Raylan and his teenage daughter, Willa Givens, played by Olyphant’s real-life daughter, Vivian, 20.

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"I was really excited to work with my dad," said Vivian of her first credited role. "Even just preparing for the audition was a joy, and if that was just the case, if I didn't get the job, then I would be happy with that. But I really liked working with him." 

"I felt like we kept a good balance about being professional but also really enjoying this experience because not many people get to work with their parents," she added. "I thought we kept a good balance of professionalism and fun. Work hard, play hard."  

Olyphant, who stared at his daughter adoringly during the panel, said he was "just trying to keep it together" while working with his new costar. "It was a real pleasure working with her. It was a pleasure working with everybody," he said. "This is an incredible cast, and she was an absolute professional, and I mean that in every sense of the word. It was really special. It was really cool."

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