Woody Harrelson almost starred in The White Lotus season 3, but dropped out due to scheduling issues. It turns out, however, that the scheduling clash in question was with his own vacation.
The True Detective and Hunger Games star was originally up for the role of Rick Hatchett, who was ultimately played by Walton Goggins. Rick is on vacation at the White Lotus with his younger girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), but has a dark secret that motivated his trip to Thailand. Harrelson then signed on for a different role: Frank, Rick's friend who lives in Thailand, who ended up being played by Sam Rockwell.
"I was set to do White Lotus and very excited. Unfortunately, their production schedule shifted, and conflicted with a pre-planned family vacation, forcing me to make an extremely hard decision," Harrelson told The Hollywood Reporter, as part of the publication's oral history of the show. "Things must be meant to be though, because I couldn’t have done as fantastic a job as Sam, who is killing it."
Rockwell's introduction to the show in episode 5, during Rick's visit to Bangkok, caused a lot of buzz online after his character Frank's monologue about sex, sobriety, and life in Thailand – and Goggins' bemused facial expressions in response went down well with the internet, too.
All episodes of The White Lotus season 3 are streaming now on Max in the US and NOW in the UK. For more viewing inspiration, check out our guide to the best new TV shows still to come in 2025.
