20 Actors Who Should Be On the Next White Lotus (Part One)

You’re welcome, Mike White.

As fans, we stay at the White Lotus for its excellent writing and filmmaking, but if you’re anything like me - you come for the cast.

Showrunner Mike White tends to avoid A-listers, opting instead for character actors and TV stars, often those from years slightly passed. This may have been out of necessity in the first season, but as the show has grown into one of TV’s biggest - it's now clearly a deliberate choice. And can I just say - the man has impeccable taste!

White has given loving showcases to some of my all-time favourite actors (Zahn! Posey! Monaghan!), and managed to turn fucking Walton Goggins into a household name. So in the spirit of character actor appreciation, I am compiling my own list of potential guests for season four, and I’m including twenty so I have a better chance at correctly predicting one.

Here's my first round of picks:

Adam Brody

You know him from: The OC, Nobody Wants This, Promising Young Woman, Ready or Not

A wave of nostalgic goodwill has hit teen drama star Adam Brody in recent years, including whispers of a “Brodysance.” With this, I’ve even seen some implication that Brody has only just grown into a good actor, but if you’ve seen The OC, you should know that he was always good.

Brody has retained his boyish features, which have led him to a lot of creepy and sinister roles in his post-OC career, but I personally I think a hero arc would be the best use of him. Maybe you assume he’s gonna cheat on his wife but he doesn’t? Just spitballing.

That being said I actually think this casting will happen at some point, so I leave it in Mike White’s capable hands.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

You know him from: Oz, Lost, The Mummy Returns, The Bourne Identity

As The White Lotus casts its colonial gaze around the world, you have to wonder if Africa is the next setting for the resort’s exploitative practices.

That thought may have put Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s name in my head, but I promise that I’m a lifelong fan. Akinnuoye-Agbaje is best known to me as Lost’s Mr. Eko, and as a result I hear a thick Nigerian accent when I think of him. But he’s actually English, and I’ve seen him master a variety of accents for roles across television and film.

Unimaginative casting often sees Akinnuoye-Agbaje in a henchman type capacity, but real Adewale heads know he has a deep well of onscreen empathy that has been woefully underutilized.

Albert Brooks

You know him from: Drive, Finding Nemo, The Simpsons, Taxi Driver

Honestly I’d just like to see him again!

For the uninitiated, Albert Brooks wrote, directed and starred in some of the most interesting and compelling American comedies of the 20th century. Specifically: Real Life, Modern Romance, Lost in America, and Defending Your Life. Yet outside of comedy nerd circles, Brooks is criminally underappreciated. At 77, it’s time we give him a mainstream victory lap before it’s too late. Toss him a likeable/evil grampa in the style of F. Murray Abraham from season two, and I know he will crush it. Hopefully without going method.

Dan Stevens

You know him from: Downton Abbey, Legion, Beauty and the Best, The Guest

After only three seasons, the grinning rich sociopath archetype has become a proud White Lotus tradition. Jake Lacy. Theo James. Patrick Schwarzenegger. In my mind, there is no one better to cut loose in this mold than Dan Stevens.

In the underseen horror/thriller The Guest, Stevens gives one of the most entertaining performances of the 2010’s as a dude you can never fully get a read on. He's actually English, and is good in a wide variety of roles, but he gets like 80 times more juice when you let him be American. Just get him to do The Guest again on a global scale. Come onnnnnnn.

Diego Luna

You know him from: Andor, Y tu Mama Tambien, Narcos: Mexico, If Beale Street Could Talk

I’m trying not to put all the international actors in the box of playing staff, but imagine how great Luna would be as the manager of The White Lotus Mexico.

Andor is finally raising his star in the north, and Luna is primed for a meaty role. Plus, is there a more likeable guy? I literally gasped when he showed up as a kind hearted waiter in Beale Street. He's a great actor but also an all-time cutie.

Dylan Gelula

You know her from: Smile 2, Dream Scenario, Shithouse, Hacks

Mike White is a talented writer in convincingly portraying characters of a variety of different cultures, but more than that he’s amazingly talented at characters of different generations.

Hayley Lu Richardson’s beleaguered assistant in season two is the most authentic depiction of a younger millennial/older gen z woman that I’ve ever seen on television. I would like to see that quality paired with one of the most natural actors of this particular age bracket: Dylan Gelula.

Like the next actor on this list, Gelula goofs around in the exact same way that my friends goof around, and I’ve always liked her for it. Make her someone’s sardonic tag-along friend and you’ve got comedy gold, Jerry.

Geraldine Viswanathan

You know her from: Thunderbolts, Blockers, Bad Education, Drive Away Dolls

The other gen z avatar of beleaguered assistants and wise-beyond-their-years college students, I’ve been on the Viswanathan train since 2018’s Blockers.

Like Dylan Gelula, Viswanthan has a certain easy-going naturalism that reminds me very much of women I actually know. I also suspect she has a deeper emotional range than she’s been able to showcase thus far. If anyone can find that depth, it’s Mike White.

Greta Lee

You know her from: Past Lives, Russian Doll, Across the Spider-Verse, Problemista

While The White Lotus has done well for the careers of a number of veteran character actors, it’s also been a crucial stepping stone for rising stars like Fred Hechinger and Sydney Sweeney. So, I ask you, why not Greta?

Greta Lee, who broke out in 2023’s Oscar-Nominated Past Lives, has appeared in a disappointing lack of high profile projects in the past two years. In a more just world, Lee would be given a chance to establish a star career, and I have a feeling a season of White Lotus would serve her better than, say, Tron: Ares.

Josh Hartnett

You know him from: Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, The Virgin Suicides, Trap

A 2000’s prettyboy who took a nearly 10 year break from mainstream Hollywood, the last few years have given us Hartnett-heads a lot of hope. After dipping his toes back into the mainstream with appearances in a few Guy Ritchie movies, Hartnett had a major supporting role in Oppenheimer, and gained some notice for his turn as a serial killer in M Night Shyamalan's Trap. I’ve always liked Hartnett, and Trap had him in both grinning sociopath and corny girldad modes, either of which could benefit him in a stay at a certain luxury resort.

Judy Greer

You know her from: 13 Going on 30, Arrested Development, Archer, Ant-Man

Much like Steve Zahn, Judy Greer has long languished in roles as the quirky best friend or embarrassing parent. Yet if you were paying attention, you could see that Greer was always able to inject some humanity into even the most underwritten role. She’s also willing to go all-out for a broader comedy (she was Kitty on Arrested Development) and I have a feeling she’d steal a season as a Parker Posey-style wacky mom.

That's the first half of my list. Tune in this week for more :)