Who is Vivian Olyphant? Daughter and co-star of 'Justified: City Primeval' star Timothy Olyphant never watched dad's work
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Thirteen years after 'Justified' ended, 'Justified: City Primeval' will air on FX in July. Actor and producer Timothy Olyphant, who spent six seasons playing Deputy Raylan Givens in the original series, will appear in the new show alongside his own daughter, Vivian Olyphant. The FX limited series 'Justified: City Primeval' premieres on July 13.
The worldwide premiere of 'Justified: City Primeval' took place in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, June 1, during the opening night of the ATX TV Festival. "I’d show up [for more]. I had a good time. Every time we’ve done this I’ve had a good time," Timothy told the crowd at the opening night. The father-and-daughter duo, Timothy and Vivian, will be portraying the same relationship in the show 'Justfied: City Primeval,' as per Variety.
Who is Vivian Olyphant?
Timothy Olyphant's family comprises his wife Alexis Knief and their three children. The youngest child of Timothy and Alexis, Vivian, was born in 2003. She is 20 years old at present. She is making her acting debut in 'Justified: City Primeval' as Raylan Givens' daughter Willa Givens.
David Andron and Michael Dinner, the show's creators, conversed with Entertainment Weekly about how Timothy's real-life daughter was chosen to play his on-screen daughter on the show. Although the showrunners were skeptical about Vivian auditioning for the role, Andron stated, "She was great." She was ecstatic to collaborate with her father.
At the show's premiere in Texas, Vivian asserted that she hadn't seen 'Justified'. In fact, she hadn't seen most of her father's work, with the exception of the animated movie 'Rango'. She admitted, "We never watched my dad’s work, my siblings and I because it’s kind of strange."
'I had to audition and it went well'
When asked how Timothy Olyphant persuaded them, Andron and Dinner revealed that he put his real-life daughter, Vivian, on tape to portray the 14-year-old daughter of his fictional character, Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens, on the FX revival series. Vivian playing Willa Givens was not originally intended, per the showrunners, who also admitted that they were initially reluctant about the casting.
The youngest Olyphant remarked, "I had to audition and it went well." When discussing the potential of his wife joining the ensemble, Timothy disclosed he and his wife agreed the opportunity may make an excellent summer job for their daughter while she was on leave from college.
'It was an incredible experience'
The actor once recalled his humorous experience working with his daughter on the series. It turns out that the actress often made fun of her father on the set. Timothy said on 'Late Night With Seth Meyers' that she "did all that bulls**t where she'd write, like, 'favorite Olyphant' on a big board and put my name and her name. I lost in a landslide. Like, a landslide! There was like one Star Wars geek that voted for me… It was terrible!"
He claimed that Vivian's inclusion in the program had effectively ended any chance he had of upholding the reputation he had laboriously built over the course of the several years he spent filming it. "One of the things about 'Justified' in particular is that, over time, you've earned a little bit of a reputation where perhaps people… can be a little nervous around you, or feel intimidated," he said. "We hired the one person, guaranteed, who doesn't feel that way at all. In fact, she's not only not nervous around me, she's kinda over it."
Timothy added that he is genuinely delighted to co-star with Vivian in 'Justified: City Primeval'. He stated, "It was an incredible experience. She was remarkable, and it was a joy to work with her. She worked very hard. She auditioned for it, and I wasn't surprised that they hired her, and it was really special."