Natalie Zea Weighs In on Her Justified Kid Being All Grown Up for FX’s City Primeval: ‘It Is Wild’
Natalie Zea has definite thoughts on Winona and Raylan’s little girl being all grown up for FX‘s Justified: City Primeval limited series.
Inspired by the late Elmore Leonard’s crime novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, and premiering Tuesday, July 18, the FX series finds Raylan Givens (played again by Timothy Olyphant) still living in Miami, to which he relocated in the original series’ finale. A chance encounter on a desolate Florida highway leads Raylan to Detroit, where the U.S. Marshal crosses paths with sociopath Clement Mansell aka “The Oklahoma Wildman” (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny‘s Boyd Holbrook) — all as Raylan’s daughter Willa tags along.
And Willa — last glimpsed as a wee tyke in Justified‘s April 2015 series finale — is now a full-on, towering teenager (played by Olyphant’s real-life daughter Vivian).
“It is wild,” Zea remarked when we slid in front of her a photo of the teenaged Willa. “She’s an adult young lady.”
Zea noted that, like TVLine, she “did the math” on Willa’s age when she first got wind of the casting “and was like, ‘Hmmm….’ She was four [when Justified ended], and Vivian is 19 or 20, but playing… 14?”
Pesky continuity issues aside, Zea effused that Vivian Olyphant is “a very sweet girl” and she is delighted to see her slip into the role, adding with a big smile: “I like her.”
Mere minutes into Justified: City Primeval, it is established that Willa’s mom is away on a trip (and nowhere close to Detroit). Even so, Zea avowed that “Of course!” she will be tuning in when the series debuts.
“It’s my family there, and I will always have a very specific and ooey-gooey place in my heart for all of them,” she shared. “They’re a great group of people…. I love them.”
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Love me some Raylan Givens and his younger daughter looks so much like him. It would have been nice to see a glimpse of Natalie Zea. Maybe next time……….🤞
I loved Winona and was so bummed how she was essentially written out of the series by Season 4. I feel like the writers ended up writing her into a corner and then had no clue what to do with her character. It’s a shame because Natalie Zea had excellent chemistry with Olyphant and it would have been great to explore their relationship more (a nice reprieve from the gunslinging every once in a while). Instead we got the awful bartender in S4 and social worker in S5 who were so dull.
I think Natalie asked to be written out, if I’m remembering correctly. They didn’t want to lose her. She came back whenever they asked as a guest star, because she’s good people.
I think it was a combination of her wanting to try other things outside of Justified and the writers intentionally reducing her role. But Graham Yost has always said that Winona is still a large part of the series, even when she is not physically present. I think it ultimately made sense for Winona to leave Kentucky given how much danger she was constantly put in and once she became a mother, she had to make a choice. Keeping her in the series at that point wouldn’t really move the story forward. I do agree that the bartender in season 4 and Alison (social worker) in season 5 were super disposable characters and the actors playing them were not great choices.
Just came here to say that I absolutely hated the social work sub-plot in Season 5. I didn’t even remember she existed until I saw this comment (which to be fair, there was a lot of dullness in S5). It struck me as odd that Raylan, who is objectively a very attractive and charming man (despite all his other not great qualities), would go from an absolute smoke-show of Winona to some extremely average women like the bartender (she was way better on Claws but had the worst baby high pitch voice on Justified) and Alison (Amy Smart is an ok actor but nothing about her role was essential).
To be fair, Raylan never courted women. They always came to him. The exception is Winona, he chased her but she also allowed herself to be chased by him. And she showed up to his motel room in Season 1. He wasn’t passive in that relationship but in every other dynamic, he was a very passive guy. The gross bartender with the big nose in Season 4 threw herself at him. Alison Brander literally stopped him outside the courthouse and was babbling to him and he was so confused. Ava was infatuated with him. Carolyn and her beer belly asked him to spend the night. These are all examples of how the women courted him, not the other way around.
Natalie Zea is a class act ! I try to watch every TV show or movie she is in.
can’t wait
Justified has always been the BEST series on tv! every actor who graced that show was elevated to rock star staus. the writing was amazing as was the directing. my husband and i have rewatched the series 3 times since it finished and it never ceases to amaze! from Dewey Crowe to Ellen mae, every character was unique & memorable….i just wish Boyd Crowder could have still been part of the new show…..after all, they dug coal together…….
I really hope Boyd Crowder/Walton Goggins shows up in this new Justified! And yes, excellent series with excellent actors. Season 2 with Mags Bennett played by the incomparable Margo Martindale was the BEST season.
Amen.
Natalie Zea played an adult character on Justified and is too Old to be Givens’ daughter, anyways. This article smacks of No Research or knowledge of Justified!
Are you being deliberately obtuse? Zea played the character of Winona in the original series, the wife/ex-wife of Raylan. This article was solely about getting her reaction in regard to seeing Willa’s character aged-up to teen years.
I love Justified. I love the bond between Raylan and Willa. I hope and pray that it contines.
Also, if you like Justified you’ll love Joe Picket. They are wanting to cancel it. Please watch it on Prime or Paramount. Thanks.