Walton Goggins: Star rushes himself to hospital after terrifying snake bite on The White Lotus set in Thailand

The terrifying incident unfolded while filming a scene where his character, under the influence of cannabis, releases venomous snakes from a snake farm. In the show, it’s his girlfriend Chelsea (played by Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood) who gets bitten and rushed to the hospital. But in real life, it was Goggins who suffered the bite - and he happens to be deathly afraid of snakes.

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 53-year-old actor opened up about his extreme fear: “I don't just have a phobia – it is like a missing link when it comes to snakes. I am terrified of snakes, really, really terrified, and there's something, like, genetically wrong with me when it comes to snakes.”

Despite receiving all the necessary safety instructions, Goggins admitted that panic took over. “I had the snake handler right off camera because when I picked up the snake for the very first time, I started crying. Like uncontrollably,” he confessed.

Moments before filming, handlers warned him: ‘Don’t touch this cage because this snake will kill you. This one here, there’s some snakes in it, but don’t touch the brown ones.’ But in his panic, Goggins lost track of the details. “All I’m thinking about is the very first cage where the snake will kill you, and the rest of it just goes out of my mind.”

Then, the cameras rolled. “They yell ‘Action.’ And it’s like, ‘Don’t open the first one because they’ll kill you. Was it green or was it brown? Which one has a big, big bite?’”

In that crucial moment, he made the wrong move. “I started to pull the green one, and as I was pulling the snake out, he didn’t want to come. So the snake turns around and he bit me. I haven’t told that story to anyone!”

Instant panic set in. “I swear to God, it was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve been bit by a snake! Oh my God!’” he recalled.

Initially, production treated the bite with antibiotic ointment, and filming continued. But the next day, he got an unsettling call from the producers. “Hey, you know what? We’ve been thinking about it, and we’re thinking maybe you should go to the hospital.”

Confused and alarmed, Goggins asked, “For what? You said the snake was nonvenomous, right? Am I dying a slow death? Is there something you know I don’t know?”

Ultimately, he went to the hospital and received a tetanus shot. But there was another surprise waiting for him. “And they made me sign that day! Somebody just came up and said, ‘I’m sorry you’re not feeling too good. Listen, can you just sign this little bitty piece of paper?’” Kimmel quipped, “So, in other words, they got a call from the lawyers at HBO.” Goggins agreed, realising he had either just given an autograph, or signed away all his rights.

The White Lotus Season 3, set in Thailand, also features Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Michelle Monaghan, and Blackpink’s Lisa, among others.