The White Lotus is undoubtedly the most talked-about show of 2025. And from the deleted scenes and Koh Samui filming locations to the behind-the-scenes drama, the HBO show’s third season is still making headlines.
It is the casting that has undoubtedly got the world talking the most, with its A-list stars from Aimee Lou Wood and Patrick Schwarzenegger to Jason Isaacs and Sam Nivola opening up about the audition process and securing their roles.
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This week, it was Walton Goggins who spoke out with a surprise admission. The 53-year-old actor starred in The White Lotus season three as Rick Hatchett, earning an Emmy Award nomination for his performance. However, Goggins has admitted that he wasn’t the first choice for the role, with A-list actor Woody Harrelson originally lined up for the part.
“This is second hand, so certainly not gospel,” Goggins explained recently to The Hollywood Reporter. “But I’m pretty sure he thought it was too much of a fucking drag.
“Rick is so sad,” he continued of Harrelson’s alleged decision not to play the role. “I don’t think he wanted to play him. I think that’s how the story goes.
“Everyone walks around with so much pain,” Goggins later explained of the tortured character in the Mike White series. “You mask it and you get by, but whether it’s a breakup or you lost a job or you left something unsaid, everyone’s got some measure of low-grade trauma. It just so happens for this character, it crescendos in this moment that’s spectacularly horrific.”
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Woody Harrelson was later cast as the season three supporting role of Frank, but due to filming conflicts, he was forced to pull out of the show, with the part ultimately going to Sam Rockwell.
“I was set to do White Lotus and very excited,” Harrelson has previously explained. “Unfortunately, their production schedule shifted, and conflicted with a pre-planned family vacation, forcing me to make an extremely hard decision. Things must be meant to be though, because I couldn’t have done as fantastic a job as Sam, who is killing it.”
The White Lotus season three is available to watch now on Sky Atlantic.
We will continue to update this story.