'Justified' actor calls on Elmore Leonard's memory

PASADENA, Calif. — Walton Goggins says he relied on the memory of Elmore Leonard to help him through a tough day on the set of TV's "Justified."

Goggins, who plays Boyd Crowder on the crime drama, described a chair left empty on the set after the author died in August. "Justified" has its roots in Leonard's colorful fiction.

When he struggled with one scene, as Goggins described it Tuesday to the Television Critics Association, he decided, "`I'm just going to sit down in your chair, Leonard.' ... Without getting spiritual, it was very special, very comforting."

When those involved with "Justified" look back on the show, "it will be a big deal to say you were part of a literary giant's career," Goggins said.

Timothy Olyphant, who stars as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, said the writer's memory is not oppressive.

"I love the man. He's going to be greatly missed," Olyphant said. But, he added, "I don't feel it hanging over the show. I feel blessed to be able to do the show, and he got a kick out of it."

"Justified" is airing its fifth season and will end after season six, the producers and FX confirmed.

Although there were financial incentives to keep it going, said producer Graham Yost, "it really felt, in terms of the story of Raylan Givens in Kentucky, that six years felt about right."