Luckily, what is known as of early 2022 is which A-list actors (so far) will be reserving roles for Season 2! That casting piece of the puzzle is especially important considering how Season 1’s top-notch ensemble turned The White Lotus into Must-See TV. So, which new stars might check into The White Lotus’ second season—and which Season 1 cast members could book a return trip? To find out all that—plus which Season 1 star almost turned the show down, who was hired without a face to face meeting, and who’s already been in talks to return—keep reading to catch up on what we know about the WhiteLotus cast for Seasons 1 and 2.
Who is in The White Lotus cast in Season 2?
As of January 2022, we now know two new cast members who have signed on for The White Lotus Season 2: Sopranos star Michael Imperioli and Parks and Rec star Aubrey Plaza! Info on their characters has not been revealed, which means they could be playing guests or employees next season. Meanwhile, some fans have suggested keeping the same stars from The White Lotus Season 1 and just re-casting them in new roles—or at least that the White Lotus employees could see their jobs reassigned to other White Lotus properties and reappear that way:
Who was in The White Lotus cast in Season 1?
“The great thing about this show is that it’s a big cast, but it’s a really strong cast," Murray Barlett, who plays Armond, recently told Collider. “Everyone is really strong and everyone gets such a great story.” The cast came together quickly; because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the stars did auditions and callbacks over Zoom. The pandemic raged on as the cast went to work, effectively in quarantine as they stayed at the same hotel where White Lotus was filmed. Still, there were some simple pleasures. “Every night, we’d be down on the beach, watching the sunset,” recalls Steve Zahn. “If you were late, you were sprinting.” The popularity of the show is in no small part due to its extensive ensemble, which was played by a mix of familiar faces and new ones.
Murray Bartlett as Armond
Bartlett’s Armond has to keep the White Lotus Hotel under control, even as he deals with an increasingly serious downward spiral of his own. As for Bartlett, he didn’t even meet White before he got the plum role of the hotel manager. “There was one audition, and then I had a brief conversation with him. He really took a risk, which I appreciate. It was in the middle of the pandemic, so we were all locked down. There was no face-to-face meeting,” he told Collider.The Australian actor has also been seen in Nashville,Iron Fist and The Good Wife.
Connie Britton as Nicole Mossbacher
Playing a strait-laced executive who takes her teens on vacation, Connie Britton is a type-A mom who is somewhat oblivious to her own life. “It’s fascinating as a woman in the world in 2021 to take a very good, hard look at the hazards of success,” Britton told The Independent about her role. Playing an ultra-privileged woman at this time in history wasn’t lost on Britton. “Many of us have been in a serious state of denial,” she added, “because sometimes that’s where you go when you’re trying to protect the thing that gives you… all the things.” Following early roles in The Brothers McMullen and Spin City, Britton came to fame in the film Friday Night Lights in 2004 and especially its subsequent TV spinoff, for which she received an Emmy nomination. She later starred in the show Nashville (which, as noted above, Bartlett also appeared in!).
Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya McQuoid
Known for comedic chops, Jennifer Coolidge doesn’t think it’s funny that The White Lotus may get a whole new cast for Season 2, because she wants to stick around for more! “I hope not,” she told Entertainment Tonight at the 2021 Primetime Emmys about the rumors that she and her Season 1 co-stars are unlikely to return. “I have heard that. But you know what? You never know! And even so, imagine what Mike White can write the second time around. So, I’ll watch it, even if I’m not in it.” Given her enthusiasm to return, Coolidge is probably thrilled to hear that, at least according to The Hollywood Reporter, her Season 1 character is expected to make a return. In that season, Coolidge played an increasingly manic woman grieving after her mother’s death—and it turns out that the actress wasn’t in a great place when the White Lotus script found her. “I was really affected by the pandemic,” Coolidge told The Guardian. “It was an incredibly sad time… I knew people who lost their lives and was convinced we wouldn’t make it through. I wasn’t thinking about work, because I didn’t think we’d be alive.” What made her get on a plane? She almost didn’t. White had written the role of Tanya for Coolidge and told her she’d have to get to Hawaii right away. “That was an impossibility to my mind. I’d been gorging and self-destructing at home for months, eating pizza all day,” she said. She got on the plane anyway, and now there’s Emmy buzz for her powerhouse performance. Coolidge is best known for being Stifler’s mom in American Pie and appearing in Legally Blonde. She’s also known for the Christopher Guest films A Mighty Wind, Best in Show and For Your Consideration and has appeared in Frasier, Sex and the City and Joey.
Jake Lacy as Shane Patton
Lacy self-taped his audition at home and did his callback over Zoom—and he was stoked for the obnoxious dude-bro role he played. “[Shane] is a guy who knows he can be an ahole and is really trying to not be an ahole,’” Lacy told Harper’s BAZAAR. When he found out what happens in the last episode, he FaceTimed his wife right away. “Getting to have that unfold was so thrilling. I was in my quarantined hotel room fist-pumping and swearing out of excitement,” he recalled. Lacy’s also recently said that he’s “100 percent” raring to go for Season 2, telling The A.V. Club, “I just loved working with Mike… I want to spend the most time in that world, whether it’s like season two of White Lotus or some other thing, I would be back there.” He’s even cooked up some Season 2 storylines and says he’s willing to be demoted to background actor for a chance to return! “Man, I hope that we get to come back, like, just in the back of a shot,” he mused. “Seeing us berating someone at the Sky Lounge or getting into it with the valet. Just something to be like, ‘Oh, God, those people are still out there. They’re still just doing their f***king thing. Like Jesus, enough is enough.’” Lacy has previously appeared in the HBO show Girls and NBC’s The Office. He’s also known for his work in the films Carol and Miss Sloane.
Alexandra Daddario as Rachel Patton
In addition to being a fan of White’s previous projects, “I was eager to get back to work,” Daddario, 35, told The New York Post about signing on to White Lotus. “It was the end of 2020, so it had obviously been a hard year. And I was itching to do an adventure. I’m really grateful that it was such a wonderful project.” She plays Rachel, who has to deal with new husband Shane—and wonders if getting married was a mistake. Daddario got her start on the soap All My Children, and has since branched out to dramas like The Girlfriend Experience, Parenthood, American Horror Story and True Detective. She also appeared in the film version of Baywatch opposite Zac Efron.
Sydney Sweeney as Olivia Mossbacher
“There’s definitely a few little, mean bones in her,” Sweeney has admitted about her rich-kid character in White Lotus. “She’s so far from myself, so it’s fun to just dive into this. I’m so terrified of Olivia [and] it’s really fun playing a character that you’re scared of.” Here’s some news: Sweeney has admitted that there’s been talk of possibly returningThe White Lotus, either as Olivia or a new character. Even though nothing is certain, “I’m just so excited for Mike,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “Mike’s writing is just so much fun and so incredible. And whatever he brings to Season 2 will just elevate it even more and be a blast to watch.” Sweeney is best known for the HBO show Euphoria (for which she definitely will be back for Season 2!),but she’s also appeared in The Handmaid’s Tale and Sharp Objects.
Molly Shannon as Kitty Patton
Shannon steps into the White Lotus as Shane’s “crazy” mom. She was happy to work with her friend White, who she’s known for some time; he directed her in his little-seen, 2007 indie, Year of the Dog, and she had a role in his previous HBO series, Enlightened. “When he told me about it, he was like, “Yeah, I’ve got a show and I want you to do a part.” I was like, ‘Please, God.’ I just wanted it to work out,” she shared with Vanity Fair. Even though she was thrilled to get the role, the pandemic weighed on her as well. “Just one of the most challenging times ever—but to have this silver lining of going to shoot on location in Maui, in a COVID bubble, it was a dream come true,” she said. The comedienne is best known for her six-year tenure on Saturday Night Live; her SNL character Mary Katherine Gallagher also got a 1999 spinoff film, Superstar. She’s also known for the Wet Hot American Summer series.
Steve Zahn as Mark Mossbacher
Zahn wasn’t doing much work when the script came to him. “At that point, I was about to have some big old yard sales,” he told GQ. As a dad himself, once he dove into the role, he found that “I’m kind of like Mark in a way. I’m the activities director here … I mean, I’m not like Mark. I take that back.” Zahn’s breakthrough role was in 1994’s Reality Bites. He’s also known for the films Sahara and War for the Planet of the Apes.
Natasha Rothwell as Belinda Lindsey
Rothwell, who plays the spa manager who gets to hear about everyone’s problems, is no stranger to comedy; she was a writer on SNL for two years. She’s best known, however, for her acting work on the HBO hit show Insecure, which she also writes for.
Jolene Purdy as Lani
Purdy plays Lani, a new hire at the hotel. She’s been seen in WandaVision, Orange Is the New Black and Donnie Darko.
Where will The White Lotus Season 2 be filmed?
With the conceit that The White Lotus is an international resort company with properties worldwide, Season 2 could quite literally take place anywhere on the planet. The first season was filmed in Hawaii at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, but White has already started thinking about new locales. “It would have to be TheWhite Lotus: Kyoto or something. Which would be fun too, because we could get into culture clash ideas and stuff like that,” White told Entertainment Weekly.
Is there a trailer for The White Lotus Season 2?
Not yet, but even with a new cast and locale, it’s likely to have a similar feel to the Season 1 trailer.
When will The White Lotus Season 2 come out?
There’s no definite date for Season 2, but it’s possible that the show could return as early as next year.
How can you watch The White Lotus?
All episodes of The White Lotus are currently available to stream on HBO Max, HBO.com, and the HBO Max app. Next, book your next TV binge at Hulu’s wellness-retreat miniseries, Nine Perfect Strangers!
