Woody Harrelson revealed why he didn’t appear in the recently aired third season of White Lotus, clearing previous speculations about what set him apart from the hit HBO series.
Contrary to some speculation that suggests a dispute over wages, the actor said it befalls a clash with his personal plan. “I was trying to do White Lotus and was very excited,” Harrelson shared in a statement to the Daily Beast. “Unfortunately, their production schedules shifted, conflicting with pre-planned family vacations, forcing them to make very difficult decisions.”
His team also addressed the claim that money is a problem, following the work of the Hollywood Reporter, who said that Hollywood reporters had tried to negotiate a higher fee and held a one-on-one meeting with Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav. “It’s not money,” his representative told the Daily Beast.
The three-time Oscar nominees were first considered for the role of Rick Hatchet, the character portrayed by Walton Goggins. According to the Daily Beast, he eventually signed on to play Rick’s elusive mate Frank before the schedule shift left him. The parts were recast and Sam Rockwell intervened.
“He was going to do a show and they moved the date,” a Harrelson representative said. “And they moved the date and he was no longer available, so they recast it. That part was Sam’s.”
Harrelson only expressed his replacement, saying, “Things need to be meant to do because I couldn’t do a great job as Sam killing it.”
The third season of White Lotus, which moved the series to Thailand, featured Rockwell, Goggins, Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs and Amy Loowood in the ensemble. Harrelson did not appear, but it turns out his involvement was much closer than many had expected.
It’s hard not to wonder what Harrelson has brought to the current virus monologue provided by Rockwell. We have that memorable scene to help you see below, but if you haven’t seen season 3 yet, you might want to refrain from doing so.
