If Timothy Olyphant is nervous about life after Justified, he certainly doesn't let it show. FX recently announced that the show (airing Tuesdays) would end next year after its sixth season, but to hear him talk about it makes it seem like business as usual. Olyphant shares the quiet cool of his character, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, though he's willing to get a little sentimental when discussing the future and his relationship with Elmore Leonard. We caught up with him as he got ready to film this year's third-to-last episode and he shared his thoughts on Raylan's code, Leonard's funeral, his prospects at getting a big-time film role, and how much he loves being a pain in the ass on the Justified set.

ESQUIRE.COM: Knowing that this is the show's second-to-last season, what's the attitude like on the set?

TIMOTHY OLYPHANT: Oh, the same old thing: "What should we do tomorrow?" I don't feel any difference. Maybe there's an added pressure, like making sure that we're not just ending this season well but setting up the last season. But, quite honestly, it feels the same way at the end of every season.

ESQ: Now that you're co-executive producer, how much more of a workload do you have?

TO: Honestly, I don't think I'm doing anything different this season than I've done in any other seasons. It's just now on the up and up with the title, meaning I've been a big pain in their ass from the jump. I was never not a pain in the ass. It's now just "official pain in the ass." That title is not available, so instead they gave me co-executive producer.

ESQ: Do you get to boss around your co-stars anymore?

TO: Oh, no. I've been bossing them around since we started. I pretend to feel uncomfortable doing it but I enjoy it thoroughly.

ESQ: Knowing that the end is coming next year, are there any things you really want to see Raylan get to do?

TO: I reserve the right to change my mind here, but I don't think there's anything I really want to see him accomplish. I just hope that we take our time and are thoughtful about the way he goes about accomplishing things.

ESQ: It seems like Raylan is now thinking of his boss, Art, more like the father he never had.

TO: Yeah, that is accurate to say.

ESQ: What's your relationship like with Nick Searcy [who plays Art] off-camera?

TO: It's very similar, except for I tell him what to do [laughs]. He's as good as it gets. It's amazing to me, we were shooting a scene yesterday in Art's office. John Dahl was directing and he says, "I don't know, but there's just something about these scenes between the two of you guys in this office and it never seems to get tiresome. It seems to be so comforting and engaging. It's consistent but somehow still surprising."

ESQ: Both characters have that male ability where they can communicate their deep feelings without outright saying, "I care about you."

TO: Well, yeah. I'm proud of it in that I do feel that it's often a challenge with the show and staying true to the story that we're telling, that these guys don't become totally different people in order to create drama. These guys are still consistent with who they were at the jump. No major life changes, and yet, the humor, the tone is still there and alive in the relationship.

ESQ: How has your relationship with Walton Goggins [who plays Boyd Crowder] evolved over the course of the series?

TO: We've been pretty tight from the beginning. We talk often. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. He's a good guy. I don't think a week goes by without us talking about the direction of the show and the characters. I love him. He's not only a tremendous actor, he's so invested in his character and that's what you're looking for. Five years in, he's not just showing up, asking people what to say and where to stand.

ESQ: Have offers for bigger and better film roles come with the success of Justified, on top of the success of Deadwood?

TO: Well, I'm trying to think what I did over the past couple summers and I think the answer's "not much," so that makes me think the answer is probably "no." Otherwise I'd be in a bunch of movies [laughs]. Either that or I'm just not trying very hard. I get my fair share of good opportunities. My problem is I've started to enjoy my time off as much as I enjoy working. I don't know if I'm part of the problem or not.

ESQ: How old are your kids now?

TO: 14, 12, and 10.

ESQ: So that's good to have some time off to hang out with them.

TO: Well, that depends on how much time you've had with them [laughs]. No, they're good kids. It's not lost on me that a blink of an eye and they won't be around to complain about.

ESQ: This season, Raylan is really avoiding fatherhood. It makes me wonder what you can and can't relate to with the character.

TO: I honestly don't know what I think, other than that I go with my gut instinct. I just ask the same question — what does this character want, and what's the problem? The fatherhood thing is something I don't really share with the character. The character right now is really defined by his job and outside of that, I'm not sure he has very good footing. That's not something I relate to.

ESQ: What aspects of Raylan do you respect?

TO: There is a level of professionalism that runs through a lot of Elmore [Leonard]'s work, that really is about what Elmore was like, that I think Raylan possesses to some degree, even as he's been a little loose about the way he handled things and the trouble he's gotten himself into. He's not careless and he takes his job seriously. He takes things like being a man of your word and certain ways you treat people — I think those are things that are very attractive about the character.

ESQ: He's got a code.

TO: He has a code, exactly. Most of the relationships, no matter what side of the law they're on, he gives people the respect that they're asking for and that they're due until they prove that they're not worthy of it.

ESQ: With Elmore's passing, did that change the approach to the show at all from your standpoint?

TO: No. My relationship with Elmore was, we rarely spoke about the show. When we did talk about the show, he just wanted to know what Natalie Zea was like or what Erica Tazel was like. "I like her, she's cool. You should write more for her." Our conversations about the show were never that in-depth.

ESQ: He wrote so many characters that were cool and collected. Was he like that?

TO: Yeah. Elmore was cool. When he spoke, he was just really easy company. He was a great storyteller. He was kind of unassuming, great humor. And he was curious. He was interested. He was a professional, and he was a craftsman. He just loved his work. I found, unexpectedly, that there was a lot he and I had in common.

ESQ: You didn't really read any of his books before Justified, but how many have you read since?

TO: Countless books. There's just a ridiculous amount of good material. Swag is a real standout for me as an entire piece. Pagan Babies, because there's a weight to that story that's unexpected. Tishomingo Blues just kills me and City Primeval is awesome. I remember, I read Bandits and I went to Elmore's funeral and it was a very enlightening experience. Bandits starts off with two guys filling some dead dude up with fluids in the funeral home, and I went to the funeral and met the guy whose company had the hearse that picked up Elmore. He was like, "Hey, how ya' doing? I was the guy Elmore spent time with for Bandits." Now it's really come full-circle, hasn't it? I was in a Catholic church at his funeral and the priest was talking, and I thought, "What if this priest has read Bandits? Does he know Elmore wrote a book about wanting to fuck one of the nuns? This is fantastic."

ESQ: To go back to talking about the show's end being in sight, do you have any apprehension of what you're going to do next? Or is it a relief, knowing the pressure to keep performing at such a huge level isn't going to be around?

TO: Well, I haven't thought of it in those terms. The thing about show business is that it never gets as good as when you get the job. These jobs are like summer camp. It's filled with possibilities and new relationships that are intense for a short amount of time and it makes everybody just so attractive and exciting. And then summer camp goes on for a few years... Part of what's attractive about this profession is being able to sink your teeth into something entirely new and have that nervousness of saying, "Is this going to work?" That's the positive side of a show like this coming to an end, forcing me to go find other work. The negative side is that the show has been tremendously fulfilling. We're blessed to be able to have done it. That sounds like sentimental bullshit cliché. Words like this would never make it on our show, but I do appreciate the opportunity to have closure.

ESQ: Lots of shows don't get that.

TO: Yeah. You do these things, whether you want to admit it or not, you're hoping for an audience. In that regard, it's been good. At the same time, talk to me a year from now and I'm sure I'll be saying, "What the fuck? I could have done two more seasons, easy! What was I thinking?"

ESQ: Do you think you'll miss wearing the cowboy hat?

TO: No. [Pauses] No. I'm not even sure that cowboy hat will live to the end of season. I think that cowboy hat might get shot before Raylan does. [Laughs]

ESQ: What can we expect from the rest of this season?

TO: Some people are going to die. I'll tell you that. It might be funny along the way. If we're lucky, we'll also maybe hit a little deeper than expected. With any luck, we'll set up the final act in a way that gets people to lean forward.

ESQ: It'll be fun to see what you and Walton do, because there's gotta be a showdown coming between Raylan and Boyd.

TO: Sooner or later those two are going to cross paths in a meaningful way again, I imagine.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io