As part of a larger cast and crew interview with The Hollywood Reporter, season three producer David Bernad shared that Woody Harrelson was originally considered for the Rick Hatchett role—the one that eventually went to Goggins—but ended up turning it down, partly because the salary was too low. Per THR, White Lotus series regulars make roughly $40,000 per episode, an amount that can’t be negotiated. Harrelson reportedly went all the way to WBD CEO David Zaslav to see if he could up the number, but didn’t have any luck. At least it’s a slight boost from the show’s season one budget, which capped out around $4 million total per episode. In season three, episodes cost somewhere in the $6 million to $7 million range.
Of course, eight $40,000 direct deposits would be enough for most of us to take the sort of lavish vacation depicted in the show and then some, but it’s in the lower range of what Harrelson is likely used to. In 2021, for example, Variety reported that fellow HBO stars like Pedro Pascal (The Last Of Us), Kate Winslet (Mare Of Easttown), and the core And Just Like That… cast were all making between $600,000 to $750,000 per episode, which is obviously a massive disparity.
To Bernad, though, the satire’s relative shoestring budget is actually a boon. “Everyone is treated the same on The White Lotus,” he said. “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.”
Harrelson may still get his rose someday. It seems like he’s always kind of hanging around the show, at least. The Hunger Games actor “happened to be visiting the set” in season two, when he stumbled on a script containing Jennifer Coolidge’s character’s death scene, Bernad recalled. “He read them and was like, ‘You ruined it for me!’ We were idiots,” the producer said. At least one perk for Harrelson about not being in this season is that he doesn’t need to worry about any more accidental spoilers.
