Ralph Ineson’s Wildest On-Set Challenge: Battling a Notorious Goat
Ralph Ineson, best known as Finchy from The Office, opens up about his unforgettable struggle with a difficult goat co-star while filming the horror movie The Witch. Despite the chaos, the animal’s performance became a standout moment in the film.
Ralph Ineson will always be remembered as Finchy from The Office, a role that cemented his place in TV history. While he’s taken on plenty of other projects since then, that character remains a fan favorite. Over the past decade, Ineson’s career has soared, moving from voiceover gigs to starring in major films like Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, and even joining the Marvel universe in Fantastic Four: The First Steps.
His journey from the infamous Chris Finch in the 2001 sitcom to roles in Game of Thrones and the acclaimed miniseries Chernobyl has been impressive. For years, though, Ineson struggled to land significant parts. Things started to shift around 2009 when he was cast as Amycus in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, a role he reprised in the final two films. He also made a brief appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy before teaming up with Eggers for 2015’s The Witch.
Facing Off With a Four-Legged Nightmare
The Witch, set in 17th-century New England, marked a turning point for both Ineson and director Robert Eggers. The film, which also featured a young Anya Taylor-Joy, quickly earned critical acclaim and a slew of awards. But for Ineson, the experience came with an unexpected challenge: working alongside a massive goat named Charlie, cast as Black Phillip. The animal outweighed Ineson by nearly sixty pounds and proved to be a handful on set.
Ineson described his ordeal, saying,
“I didn’t have a lot of gas in the tank, really. He was horrible. Really, really horrible. From the moment we set eyes on each other it was just kind of hate at first sight. He had two modes: chilling out and doing nothing, or attacking me.”
Eggers confirmed the goat’s unpredictable behavior, noting that Charlie would often act out when he was supposed to be calm, and vice versa. The situation escalated when Charlie rammed Ineson, injuring his ribs and causing a tendon to come loose.
From On-Set Chaos to Cult Status
Despite the chaos, Charlie’s performance left a lasting impression on audiences, especially during a particularly unsettling scene where the goat reared up on its hind legs. Ineson, however, wasn’t as impressed. He admitted,
“It’s wonderful that his fantastic performance is bringing notoriety to the film,” he says, “but there’s a little part of me that’s like, ‘Seriously? That f—er?’”
Ineson eventually found a way to laugh about the ordeal. He recalled a dinner at a London restaurant called The Smoking Goat, where he and Eggers shared a goat dish in honor of Charlie.
“We remembered Charlie. Not so fondly.”