John Goodman Talks '10 Cloverfield Lane' and Upcoming Roles in 'Kong: Skull Island,' 'Patriots Day'

John Goodman in ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ (Photo: Michele K. Short/Paramount Pictures/AP)

For the better part of four decades now, the gregarious, multifaceted John Goodman has shined in a variety of parts that have shown him to be one of Hollywood’s most versatile — and funny — character actors. There’s nothing to laugh about, however, with regard to his most recent film, 10 Cloverfield Lane, in which the former Roseanne headliner and frequent Coen Bros. collaborator embraces his darker side for a role as a bomb shelter survivalist who claims to his underground abode’s newest involuntary resident (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) that a cataclysmic topside event has left the world in ruins.

Watch a 9-minute scene featuring John Goodman from ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’:

Goodman delivers a fierce performance perched on the precipice between sanity and madness. With 10 Cloverfield Lane now out on Blu-ray and DVD, we spoke to him about the film, as well as some of the high-profile releases he has lined up for the near future, including this fall’s Patriots Day, a drama about the Boston Marathon bombing opposite Mark Wahlberg, and next year’s star-studded Kong: Skull Island.

WARNING: 10 Cloverfield Lane spoilers below

Yahoo Movies: In 10 Cloverfield Lane, you play a character whose true heroic/villainous nature isn’t revealed until the finale. Is it difficult maintaining that sort of ambiguity throughout a feature-length performance?
John Goodman: No. He was a pretty strong character from the script, and I just followed the script. And that’s where that got me — I didn’t even think about that. The more I think, the less trouble I have. No, the less I think, the…no, something like that. The less I think, the more trouble I have [laughs].

The film’s confined setting and limited cast almost give it the feel of a play. Was that part of the material’s appeal?
Yeah, exactly. In a confined space with only two people, things can go crazy. Especially when they’re so at odds with their objectives — and when you’re dealing with an extra dollop of paranoia there.

Related: ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ Ending That Might Have Been?

Were you disappointed that you never got to partake in the finale’s extraterrestrial craziness?
Nah. He got what he deserved — a nice acid-bath exfoliation [laughs]. It would have been fun to tussle with some green screen, but I didn’t miss anything.

How do you approach getting into a character whose motives may be less than altruistic?
Well, in the first place, nobody looks at themselves as villainous. They’re usually really self-righteous, and in this guy’s case, he was a sociopath. And that really tilted him to Crazytown. He was justified [in his own mind] in everything he did, so he was not a villain. He just wanted him a girlfriend.

You’re also a part of next year’s Kong: Skull Island, which has an impressive cast (including Tom Hiddleston, Oscar winner Brie Larson, John C. Reilly, Tom Wilkinson, and Samuel L. Jackson). Is the opportunity to work with so many talented people at once a primary motivation to take on such a project?
Yeah, it was swell. The people that you’ve never heard about were great, too. Just all good actors. It was a lot of fun.

Related: ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Set for 2020

I assume that got you to work with more green screen than in 10 Cloverfield Lane?
Oh yeah, way more.

Is that a process you enjoy?
After a couple of times, you warm into it. And then it’s just like back when I was a teenager, doing plays in church basements. You use your imagination for everything.

Is the original King Kong an important film to you? Was that part of what drew you to the sequel?
Yes. It’s nice to be a part of the franchise. That movie [the 1933 King Kong] still knocks me out. It’s such a lot of fun.

Before Kong: Skull Island comes out, you’ll be in Patriots Day…
A lot of green screen there, too [laughs].

Really?
Yes, during the marathon. And in a couple of other places too. [Director] Pete Berg is just great, and I love [Mark] Wahlberg, and there were a lot of great people on it.

Related: Red Sox Slugger David Ortiz to Re-Enact Emotional Speech in Boston Bombing Movie

Did you actively seek Patriots Day out?
Yeah, I was not going to work after Kong, because I was a little burnt out. And when we were still in Hawaii on Kong, I read the script for Patriots Day and I said, “You know, this is pretty important.”

You have a big part in the film, as Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis. Is it daunting to take on a real-life role like that?
For me, it was. I put a lot of weight on myself. I just — yeah, I stepped on myself too much. I should have loosened up a lot more. But I wanted to do him justice, because he was such a vital, calming part of events there. And really used his head.

“Loosened up more” in what way?
I mean me. I really made myself uptight about playing a live character, more so than I should have. Instead of relaxing into it and doing my own interpretation of it, which I finally did about a week into it. But I just approached it with too much trepidation.

Did you have any contact with the real Ed Davis?
Constantly. We went out to dinner before I started shooting. Talked on the phone, asked him questions. He was great. He’s really an amiable guy. And larger than life, in every aspect. Really smart, and a people person. And he was great at his job.

Related: ‘Big Lebowski’ Sequel? Coen Brothers Say No

Switching gears again, you’ve starred in five films for Joel and Ethan Coen. What is it about their sensibilities that seems to so perfectly align with your own?
They make me laugh. We’re all Midwestern provincials who moved to New York. And I just appreciate really smart, good writing, and that’s them. They’re just really good at what they do.

Finally, your former TV colleague Roseanne Barr ran for President in 2012, and her campaign is getting the documentary treatment [with July 1’s aptly titled Roseanne for President]. Would you vote for her?
Oh, hell no! [Pauses] Yeah, sure, I’d vote for anybody. If she hands me a bag with a dollar sign on it…yeah, sure.

Watch John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a scene from ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’: