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Woody Harrelson Explains His Decision to Turn Down a Role in “The White Lotus” Season 3
As the third season of Mike White’s “The White Lotus” prepares to air its finale on HBO on Sunday, April 6, “The Hunger Games” actor Woody Harrelson has confirmed that he was originally offered a role in the project, but had to turn it down.
Harrelson Confirms: “Production Schedule” Conflicts Led to His Departure
A new report from “The Hollywood Reporter,” which included an interview with the entire cast of “The White Lotus” Season 3, revealed that Woody Harrelson, known for his roles in films like “The Hunger Games” and “Zombieland,” was in talks to star in the role of either Rick Hatchett or Frank in “The White Lotus” Season 3 before dropping out of the role pre-production.
GettyTHR reported that “two sources” claimed that Harrelson was being eyed for the roles, which are now played by Walton Goggins and Sam Rockwell, respectively, before going on to state that Harrelson had met with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to discuss a change in the role’s salary, which was ultimately denied.
The salary- a reported $40,000 per episode for series regulars – is “not negotiable,” according to “The White Lotus” producer David Bernad. THR claimed that Harrelson eventually signed on for the role despite the salary, before later resigning due to scheduling conflicts.
Harrelson confirmed the rumors in a statement published on “The Daily Beast” on Friday, April 4: “I was set to do ‘The 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 also seemingly confirmed that he had been in talks specifically to play Sam Rockwell’s character – Frank.
“Things must be meant to be though,” Harrelson added in his statement, “because I couldn’t have done as fantastic a job as Sam, who is killing it.”
In addition to his statement, Harrelson’s representatives also clarified that the actor’s withdrawal from the project was not “about money”.
“He was set to do the show and they moved the date,” Harrelson’s reps told “The Daily Beast” in their statement. “And because they moved the date, he was no longer available, so they recast. That was the Sam [Rockwell] part.”
Harrelson’s Potential Future in “The White Lotus” Series
While Harrelson was unavailable to appear in “The White Lotus” Season 3, there’s still a chance for the actor to appear in the show’s universe, with HBO ordering a fourth season of the series back in January 2025.
Harrelson and “The White Lotus” director Mike White have worked together in the past, specifically on the 2009 horror-comedy “Zombieland,” potentially spelling good fortune for Harrelson’s “The White Lotus” debut in the future.
