[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Season 4 of The Righteous Gemstones.]

Summary

Emotional goodbyes marked the end of filming of the HBO series ‘The Righteous Gemstones,’ with the cast sharing a bittersweet last day.

The wardrobe of their characters was a significant change for the actors, enhancing their perception of themselves.

Favorite memories in the final season include action-packed scenes and heartfelt moments, showcasing the growth of their characters.

Created, written and executive produced by Danny McBride, the HBO series The Righteous Gemstones, currently in its fourth and final season, follows the celebrity televangelist family who may bicker constantly, but who also love each other and have each other’s backs through anything and everything, no matter how wild the idea. After everything they’ve been through, the love between Judy Gemstone (Edi Patterson) and her husband BJ (Tim Baltz) is so undeniable that no stripper pole or number of bullets could keep them apart.
During this interview with Collider, co-stars Patterson and Baltz shared how emotional they got over the end of the series and the bittersweet goodbye, how much they loved the wardrobe of their characters, their favorite moments in this final season, that their characters are meant to be together, and working with that monkey.
The Last Day of Filming ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ Included a Lot of Tears

“I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.”

Collider: What was it like for you guys to say goodbye to these characters? How did you deal with the last day, emotionally?
EDI PATTERSON: I lost it.
TIM BALTZ: I held it together until I thanked Danny. And then, I could barely get through what I was trying to say.
PATTERSON: I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house, as they say. There was no stoic person over in the corner. Everyone was a mush.
BALTZ: People were very grateful to be there. It was bittersweet.

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Similar to missing these characters, what will you miss about their wardrobe?
BALTZ: It changed my life. I really dressed very, very simply, prior to the show. It’s not like I’m outlandish and taking huge fashion risks every day, but I could be dressed in that way and no one would bat an eye. I’d walk past the crew, and they’d all be like, “BJ, looking good today!” It changed my perception of myself.
PATTERSON: I liked every time I got into the skin of Judy and Judy’s clothes. I’m not saying it was comfortable all the time or easy in any way, but I always liked what it did and how I looked. It was so character-enhancing, every single day.
‘The Righteous Gemstones’ Edi Patterson and Tim Baltz Share Their Stand-Out Moments of Season 4

“Getting shot and crawling around bleeding was wild and fun.”

Image via HBO

There was always a wide array of wild things that happened in each season of this show. What was your favorite moment to shoot for each of your characters in this final season?
PATTERSON: I have a big one and a small one. The big one would be all the action in the finale and just the insanity that we go through. Getting shot and crawling around bleeding was wild and fun. On a slightly smaller scale, the scene that I got to do with Megan [Mullally], where I try to seduce her at the lake house was really, really fun to do.
BALTZ: The bigger moment for me was the pole dancing scene and the accident. They were really physically grueling and difficult and rewarding. And then, also pole-related, but a small moment was at the end when he’s packing up the pole and we’re having these really small discoveries together. Danny was having fun seeing what we were doing, and BJ has a hint of emotion at the end. It’s such a luxury to work on a show where you can go for insanely hard laughs, and then you also get these small, little tender, heartfelt moments that are genuine where we’re not reaching or trying for anything. That’s so rare.
Tim, at what point would you say that BJ decided that pole dancing would make a great hobby for him?
BALTZ: I don’t know. If you see the awards and the plaques and all the certificates for the things he’s achieved, it seems like he’d been doing it for a long time and had some success. It’s really hard. He’s always looking for unconventional ways to train and to be physically challenged. I don’t know what would come next, but this felt pretty logical. When they told me, I thought, “That tracks.” It was surprising. I shook my head and I couldn’t believe I was going to have to do it, but it made sense.
It feels like BJ has been subjected to so much with each season. What was this season’s BJ like for you to explore? What was it like to go from the emotional challenge of last season with Judy’s affair to this physical challenge of this season?
BALTZ: Last season, there was a lot of frustration and doubt. And this season, that frustration boiled over and we finally see him angry. He has an extreme amount of patience for Judy and the family, despite their behavior, which clearly isn’t the behavior that he grew up with. That boiling over was a very different component. There are a few episodes where he’s really going through it, and you have to go through it. It tests your resolve and your conviction, and I think he comes through it with more resolve in his own values and the strength of the relationship.

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Are you surprised that they have managed to make it through everything they have in their relationship?
PATTERSON: I’ve always thought that they’re meant to be together. Judy lucked out. BJ is the guy for her. I think they were always destined to be. All three main couples on the show are in it to win it and that’s always been fun to play with. I don’t think anybody was actually wanting to take off, which was a fun dynamic to play with.
BALTZ: Each couple had a different way of being tested and coming back to each other.
Edi Patterson and Tim Baltz Are Going to Miss That ‘Righteous Gemstones’ Monkey

“The monkey reached out and hit me right on the forehead.”

Image via HBO

How different was it for them to have the monkey come between them this season? How strange is it to be in something of a love triangle with a scene partner who can’t verbally communicate?
PATTERSON: What I didn’t expect was how easy it was to connect with the monkey, when I was looking right in its eyes and doing scenes. You really get a sense of how close they are to us, genetically. You’re basically looking at another person. It’s wild. That was a cool thing to figure out. It was just like doing a scene with a person.
BALTZ: There was a scene where I’m saying goodbye and crying, and this is going to sound like it’s a bad thing, but the monkey reached out and hit me right on the forehead. And then, the trainer came over and was like, “Sorry, she doesn’t like to see you cry.” I’d spent months with her at that point, and we’d done a lot of scenes. Every once in a while, she would let me give her a little treat, even though I wasn’t supposed to. We’d gotten used to each other. [Edi and she] were mad at each other.
PATTERSON: I was always saying mean things to her.
BALTZ: She probably didn’t know what to think about that. We had a very sweet relationship. And so, by the time it was done, the trainer was like, “Hey, you did a really good job with her. When she hit you in the head, it was because she didn’t want to see you cry.” I was like, “That’s really nice.”

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That’s the only time you might accept having a co-star that hits you.
BALTZ: Yeah. “I hit you because I love you.”
PATTERSON: He’s probably experienced that with Judy.

The Righteous Gemstones

Release Date

2019 – 2025-00-00

Network

HBO

Showrunner

Danny McBride

Directors

Danny McBride

Writers

Scott MacArthur

The Righteous Gemstones airs on HBO and is available to stream on Max. Check out the Season 4 trailer: