The White Lotus has featured some incredible names in its cast across its three seasons, taking the show to new heights in popularity with each new set of episodes
Fans of The White Lotus might be surprised to learn the cast seemingly don’t get paid the big bucks. And according to casting director Meredith Tucker, they don’t do it for the money, they’re “doing this for scale”.
The third season of the show, with its longest ever episode to air this weekend for the finale, has featured an incredible cast, including the likes of Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey and Patrick Schwarzenegger. With the show about to wrap up, fans are eager to find out who will leave the holiday resort in a body bag, while others think the opening credits gave it away all along.
After the chaos from the finale dies down, excitement will turn to a season four, with one thing already set to change. But the crew behind the show have spoken about the casting process, specifically the salaries, for any potential season four stars.
Despite the differing levels of star-power in the cast – from Harry Potter legend Jason Isaacs to young actor Sam Nivola, or K-Pop megastar Lisa, for which White Lotus is her debut acting role – producer David Bernad revealed: “They get paid the same, and we do alphabetical billing,” referring to the order in which names appear in the opening credits.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he said this meant they were “getting people who want to do the project for the right reasons”.
Fans had been speculating before that Lisa, who is thought to have the biggest net worth among the series regulars thanks to her global music career, would be getting paid a lot to be there, but it seems that is not the case.
David continued: “It’s a system we developed in the first season because there was no money to make the show.”
When the show started in 2021, it was reportedly made for $4million an episode, while now it ranges from $6m to $7m. Considering the cast and crew list is huge and the tropical location for filming, it appears the stars are getting paid much less than some might imagine.
In fact, it’s reported the cast is paid around $40,000 per episode. If they appeared in every episode of season three, they’d earn around $320,000. Not to be sniffed at, but certainly not what many fans would expect.
But the show bosses don’t see it as an issue, quite the opposite.
Casting director Meredith Tucker said: “It makes it so much easier. You tell people this is what it is.
“And some won’t do it and honestly, you can’t hold it against people who need to make a living. Our series regulars are pretty much doing this for scale.”
The salary is “not negotiable” either, according to David. It’s reported that this was an issue for Woody Harrelson, who was originally considered for Walton Goggins’ character Rick, and he eventually dropped out due to scheduling issues.
The White Lotus airs on Sky Atlantic and Now TV in the UK
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
