As one of the more unexpectedly popular and critically acclaimed original series in HBO’s arsenal, The White Lotus Season 3 is in the works and ready to follow up on the award-winning second outing (and its shocking finale) with another change in location. This time around, viewers will get to watch spoiled rich folks dealing with spoiled rich problems in Thailand, with a slew of new cast members set to capture our attention, as well as a returning fave.
While waiting for the longer-than-usual Season 3 to debut on HBO (and on streaming for those with Max subscriptions), check out ensemble cast joining the mayhem when the series returns.
Which Stars Are Returning From Past Seasons?
Natasha Rothwell
Though the Emmy-winning Jennifer Coolidge was the main source of connective tissues between the first and second seasons, her character Tanya wound up suffering one of 2022’s most shocking TV deaths, leaving the door open for another familiar face. Indeed, Season 1 star Natasha Rothwell, recently seen in Wonka, is reprising the role of caring masseuse Belinda in Season 3. Having earned a Supporting Actress Emmy nomination the first time around, Rothwell will likely achieve similar accolades with the next chapter in Belinda’s story.
At this time, Rothwell is the only returning White Lotus star set for year three, but there are plenty of others we’d love to see come back.
Which Stars Are New For Season 3?
Carrie Coon
The Leftovers and Gone Girl vet Carrie Coon is adept at jumping from prestige cable dramas such as The Gilded Age to serious true crime films like Boston Strangler to blockbuster popcorn projects such as the upcoming Ghostbusters; Frozen Empire. No matter who she ends up playing in The White Lotus, the character will be one of the most captivating to watch.
Patrick Schwarzenegger
Fresh off his shocking turn as Golden Boy in Prime Video’s Gen V, which itself followed turns in The Terminal List and The Staircase, Patrick Schwarzenegger already has more TV starring roles than his famous father Arnold Schwarzenegger, and we can only hope that the Fubar star finds his way to Thailand for a guest spot. He’ll next pop up on the small screen in Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s American Sports Story, where he’ll portray former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow.
Walton Goggins
An actor whose filmography has exploded in recent years thanks to projects such as The Righteous Gemstones, I’m a Virgo, George & Tammy, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey and Invincible — not to mention his return to Justified’s universe and the film The Uninvited. He’ll very likely bring a heavy dose of southern fried menace to The White Lotus, though fans can also expect to see him popping up in the pro wrestling biopic Queen of the Ring and Prime Video’s upcoming video game adaptation Fallout.
Leslie Bibb
Leslie Bibb’s career has been far more TV-centric in recent years, thanks to turns on superhero shows such as Jupiter’s Legacy and What If…?, as well as comedies such as Love Life and God’s Favorite Idiot, and she’s also set to star in the ensemble drama Palm Royale opposite Laura Dern, Kristen Wiig and Allison Janney. Now it’s just about wondering which kind of character Bibb will be playing for the HBO dramedy.
Parker Posey
Having made a career out of bringing unique personalities to TV and films, Parker Posey could (and hopefully will) be a complete wild card in The White Lotus’ universe. In the past couple of years, she went from The Staircase and Tales of the Walking Dead to Beau Is Afraid and Thelma, with the horror comedy The Parenting (co-starring Brian Cox and Edie Falco) coming in 2024.
Jason Isaacs
With Star Trek fans hoping for his return in the final season of Discovery, Jason Isaacs had a big 2023 for TV, co-starring in The Great, The Crowded Room and Archie (not to mention playing Alfred in the narrative podcast The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark). The actor has a whopping four films in post-production, with another three or four on the way to production, so hopefully that doesn’t mean he’s due for a short stint as a victim, and that his schedule allows for Isaacs’ character to stick around the whole season.
Michelle Monaghan
Since starring in True Detective back in 2014, Michelle Monaghan has stuck with streaming services for her starring TV roles, from The Path to Messiah to Echoes, but she’ll be returning to HBO for The White Lotus’ anticipated third season. Having co-starred in the 2023 comedy The Family Plan, the actress will be taking the takes up a notch with her role in the upcoming A24 movie MaXXXine.
Miloš Biković
Serbian and Russian actor Miloš Biković is best known across the globe for his work in the popular comedy Serf and its 2024 sequel Serf 2. He’ll be making his U.S. TV debut with The White Lotus, though his role is currently unknown.
Morgana O’Reilly
Arguably best known for her years as Naomi Canning on the long-running soap Neighbours — or to horror fans for her starring role in 2014’s fave Housebound — New Zealand actress Morgana O’Reilly is adept with comedy, drama, romance and more on the small screen, so the multi-genre approach at the heart of The White Lotus will likely be second nature.
Lek Patravadi
An award-winning Thai actress whose influential career started back in 1973 — in a role that landed that first award — Lek Patravadi will bring her internationally renowned performance art talents to HBO’s The White Lotus, though it’s unknown what role she’ll be playing. Considering she’s known in Thailand for decades of work across film, TV, and the stage, Mike White hopefully has big plans for Patravadi.
Shalini Peiris
Sri Lankan-born actress Shalini Peiris is more known for her UK acting, such as her role in the slapstick kids comedy The Danny & Mick Show, but also crossed over to U.S. TV in a big way in 2023 with the Syfy series The Ark (available to stream with a Peacock subscription).
Christian Friedel
German actor Christian Friedel recently starred in one of the buzziest dramas of awards season, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, and he was also seen on the big screen in 2023 for the drama 15 Years. He’s no stranger to TV, though, having co-starred in Netflix’s 2018 limited series Perfume and the Golden ‘20s drama Babylon Berlin, which concluded in 2022.
Dom Hetrakul
One of several Thai talents joining the cast of The White Lotus, Dom Hetrakul comes from quite a noteworthy family, as they’re in charge of Thailand’s second-most popular newspaper, Bangkok’s Daily News. The majority of his acting work has come in Thai projects, and with more TV shows than films, so he should be right at home amidst the fancy settings in the HBO dramedy.
Sarah Catherine Hook
With The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It as her main claim to fame on the big screen, Sarah Catherine Hook appeared in shows such as Law & Order: SVU, NOS4A2 and Monsterland before landing her biggest break co-leading the cast of Netflix’s First Kill, though the vampire drama was unfortunately cancelled after a single season.
Sam Nivola
Most recently seen opposite Bradley Cooper in 2024 Oscar nominee Maestro and opposite Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie in the mystery thriller Eileen, Sam Nivola is a rising star and will no doubt blow up even bigger once he arrives in The White Lotus’ third season.
Aimee Lou Wood
British stage actress Aimee Lou Wood broke out in a big way on TV as the similarly named one-time Untouchables member Aimee Gibbs in Netflix’s Sex Education, which wrapped in September 2023 after four seasons. In that time, she also co-starred with Benedict Cumberbatch in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, and opposite Bill Nighy in Living. She’s got three other TV projects on the way outside of The White Lotus: the PBS miniseries Alice & Jack, the Netflix miniseries Toxic Town and the Brit-com Daddy Issues.
Francesca Corney
Up-and-coming actress Francesca Corney is a native of Bangkok, Thailand, and got her break in the 2022 Netflix movie Fistful of Vengeance, following that up with a recurring role in Apple TV+’s The Buccaneers, based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel of the same name.
Nicholas Duvernay
After a few years of smaller roles in projects such as Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living, Nicholas Duvernay made a broadcast splash in 2022 with minor parts in The Rookie, S.W.A.T., Magnum P.I. and more, and he landed even larger roles in Peacock’s Bel-Air and the Netflix movie Purple Hearts.
Arnas Fedaravičius
Possibly the one White Lotus Season 3 cast member with a Lithuanian background, actor Arnas Fedaravičius appeared in several productions around the globe before landing a starring role in the acclaimed historical drama The Last Kingdom, which concluded in 2023 with the feature film The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die. He also co-starred in the first season of Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time.
Stay tuned for more White Lotus Season 3 casting additions, and head to our 2024 TV premiere schedule to see what other big shows will be arriving on the small screen beforehand.