Revealed: Woody Harrelson turned down The White Lotus role for this surprising reason

Woody Harrelson didn’t check into “The White Lotus” for good reason.The actor, 63, revealed he was going to star in the third season of the HBO drama but ultimately had to turn it down.“I was set to do ‘White Lotus’ and very excited,” Harrelson told The Daily Beast on Friday.“Unfortunately, their production schedule shifted and conflicted with a pre-planned family vacation, forcing me to make an extremely hard decision.”“He was set to do the show and they moved the date,” his reps added.

Harrelson’s comments come on the heels of HBO executives revealing to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday that the actor was up for two particular roles in Thailand.One being the main character Rick, played by Walton Goggins, while the other option was for a guest role as Rick’s friend, Frank, portrayed by Sam Rockwell.THR says two sources shared with them that Harrelson met with Warner Brothers CEO David Zaslav to try and up his salary.As one of the show’s producers, David Bernard, explained to the outlet, salaries are “not negotiable.”“Everyone is treated the same on ‘The White Lotus,’” the producer continued.

“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 current season takes place in Thailand and stars Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs and Patrick Schwarzenegger.The pay system has been implemented since the show’s first season in 2021, when the star-studded cast included Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario and Sydney Sweeney.THR reported that the series regulars make around $40,000 an episode, which equals $320,000 for the entire eight-episode season.Casting director Meredith Tucker confessed to the outlet that “it makes it so much easier.” “You t...