Why Woody Harrelson Was Not Able to Do ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3
When it comes to HBO’s The White Lotus, the show has built a reputation to shock its audience with gripping storylines (we’re still not over that scene involving the Ratliff…
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 22: Woody Harrelson attends the photocall for “Triangle Of Sadness” during the 75th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 22, 2022 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images)
When it comes to HBO’s The White Lotus, the show has built a reputation to shock its audience with gripping storylines (we’re still not over that scene involving the Ratliff brothers), off screen drama between the casts, and of course, its social commentary mixed with dark humor. Season after season, viewers have been introduced to different intriguing characters portrayed by iconic and well-loved actors, that audience wait for which of their favorite actors might be included in the next season.
In recent news, seasoned actor Woody Harrelson, known for films like Zombieland, Last Breath, and The Hunger Games franchise was supposed to join the show’s latest season but was not able to do.
Woody Harrelson: Not About the Money
According to The Hollywood Reporter (via the New York Post), that sources claimed Harrelson met with Warner Brothers CEO David Zaslav to negotiate the salary. However, David Bernard, one of the show’s producers explained that the salaries of the cast are “not negotiable.” Bernard added, “Everyone is treated the same on ‘The White Lotus.’ They get paid the same, and we do alphabetical billing, so you’re getting people who want to do the project for the right reasons, not to quote ‘The Bachelor.’ It’s a system we developed in the first season because there was no money to make the show.”
The pay system for the show’s regular cast has been implemented since the first season. THR reported that the series regulars make around $40,000 per episode. Casting director Meredith Tucker said, “It makes it so much easier. You tell people this is what it is. And some won’t do it — and honestly, you can’t hold it against people who need to make a living. Our series regulars are pretty much doing this for scale.”
Woody Harrelson cleared the issue, per The Daily Beast, and said the reason he was not able to do the show was because of scheduling conflict. The Now You See Me actor explained, “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.”
His representatives added, “He was set to do the show and they moved the date. And because they moved to date, he was no longer available so they recast. That part was the Sam part.” Harrelson added, “Things must be meant to be though, because I couldn’t have done as fantastic a job as Sam, who is killing it.”
Perhaps inThe White Lotus Season 4, then?
