Walton Goggins plays The Ghoul in Amazon’s Fallout TV show. The costume designer talks about the creation of ghouls in the show and how they made them hot.
The gray irradiated flesh of ghouls in Fallout serves as a living testament to the horrors of a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by nuclear warfare. It makes sense that ghouls, people and animals who have zombified due to exposure to radiation, have been a fixture of the Fallout series since its inception, all melted flesh and exposed organs. Now, they come to life in Prime Video’s new TV show, Fallout.
While the look of some ghouls resembles chemical burns that could repulse viewers, not every monster is all that, well, ghoulish. When compared to the monstrosities of the games, characters like The Ghoul (played by Walton Goggins) seemed a bit tame. Sure, his nose didn’t survive the nuclear apocalypse, but video edits compiling clips from the show highlighted how weirdly hot he was. According to Fallout associate costume designer Amy Westcott, his look played into his larger story as a character.
“I think the only reason that he was downplayed in terms of being more grotesque was because he still had his wits about him,” Westcott said via Zoom.
