Here's Where You Know The Cast Of "The White Lotus" From
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If you are like me, you are currently as obsessed with The White Lotus on HBO as Jennifer Coolidge's Tanya is with her masseuse.
HBO / Via gph.is
Also, if you are like me, you probably had a moment while watching the show where you asked yourself, Wait, where do I know this person from? I'm here to help.
HBO / Via gph.is
Here is where you know every cast member of The White Lotus from:
1.Murray Bartlett (Armond)
How do you know Armond, the snooty manager of The White Lotus who double-booked the Pineapple Suite and seems fixated on Lani’s condiment choices? Well, he’s played by Murray Bartlett, a 50-year-old Australian actor you most likely recognize as Dom, the gay sommelier from HBO’s Looking. Bartlett also recently had a lead role on Netflix’s miniseries Tales of the City and a short guest stint on Iron Fist. Regularly acting since the '90s however, Bartlett has popped up on Sex and the City, Flight of the Conchords, Damages, and Nashville. Soap opera regulars may also have clocked him as Cyrus Foley, a regular for several years on Guiding Light.
2.Connie Britton (Nicole Mossbacher)
Easily the biggest name on the cast list, Connie Britton starred in numerous films and TV shows before arriving at the White Lotus with her family as "girl boss" Nicole Mossbacher. Friday Night Lights fans will recognize her as Tami Taylor, the coach’s wife, a role for which she received two Emmy nominations. She also snatched up Emmy noms for her leading role in the OG season of American Horror Story and for helming Nashville. More recently, Britton played Faye Resnick on The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, starred in the first season of Dirty John, and appeared in a dozen episodes of 9-1-1. On the film side, she recently played a pair of problematic women in places of power, as Beth Ailes (wife of Fox News CEO and sexual harasser Roger Ailes) in Bombshell and as the dean in Promising Young Woman, who seemed all too willing to turn a blind eye to campus sexual assault. Previously she played a socialite in Beatriz at Dinner, a film written by The White Lotus's creator, Mike White. Britton plays these types of roles well, and she’s back to do it again.
3.Jennifer Coolidge (Tanya McQuoid)
It shouldn’t have been hard to peg the desperate-for-a-massage Tanya McQuoid (pronunciation, please?) as Miss Bend and Snap herself, Jennifer Coolidge. Coolidge’s portrayal of Paulette Bonafonte in the Legally Blonde films is iconically quotable, to say the least. Coolidge, who White Lotus creator White demanded be cast, is also a prolific actor and Christopher Guest regular, showing up in films such as Best in Show as well as in American Pie, A Cinderella Story, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Promising Young Woman (with Britton). She was a regular on 2 Broke Girls and appeared on Glee, Party Down, Friends, and Sex and the City. And of course, never forget she was in Ariana Grande’s instant-classic music video for “Thank U, Next.” Anyone else in this cast have that credit?
4.Alexandra Daddario (Rachel)
In The White Lotus, Alexandra Daddario plays the VERY RELATABLE role of “someone who doesn’t want to complain about their hotel arrangements.” The actor and sister of Shadowhunter’s Matthew Daddario burst onto the scene in 2010 when she landed the lead role of Annabeth Chase in the Percy Jackson film franchise before it sputtered out. Since then, she’s scooped up roles in films like Texas Chainsaw 3D, San Andreas, and Baywatch. You may also recognize her from a plethora of TV guest roles on shows like Parenthood, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, New Girl, and True Detective. For Sopranos fans, she also played “Another Woman” in an episode, so really, that’s probably where you know her from.
5.Fred Hechinger (Quinn Mossbacher)
Fred Hechinger’s agent should be applauded because the 21-year-old actor is popping up in all the right places. Not only is he carrying a laptop to a swim-up pool bar and sleeping in the nude as Quinn on The White Lotus, but this year alone, Hechinger scored substantial supporting roles in the buzzy Woman in the Window adaptation (something I cannot reference without mentioning this article about its writer) and Netflix’s horror series Fear Street. He worked alongside Tom Hanks on a wagon in News of the World and Meryl Streep on a cruise ship in Let Them All Talk. He’s also one of the dickish ninth-grade boys at the mall in Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade. (Also, FWIW, Mike White loves an archetype, and Quinn is a carbon copy of Brad from White's previous film Brad's Status.)
6.Jake Lacy (Shane Patton)
Jake Lacy is another one of those “I’ve seen this dude everywhere” actors, but his penchant for period pieces and different hairstyles really makes him tricky to identify. Before playing Shane, the spoiled, rich honeymooner on The White Lotus, he appeared in the old-school dance world of Fosse/Verdon, the old-school comedy world of I’m Dying Up Here, and the old-school closeted lesbian world of Carol (all with different hairdos). He was a series regular on the gone-too-soon High Fidelity and also appeared as the villain in the third Johnny English movie. But of course I’m burying the lead: Most of you will know him as Pete, aka Plop, from the final season of The Office.
7.Brittany O'Grady (Paula)
One of the cast’s freshest faces, Brittany O’Grady has a relatively short IMDb page outside of her role as Paula, the friend along on the family vacation to keep the teenage child happy on The White Lotus. I recognized her from the not-so-great 2019 Black Christmas reboot (which I saw alone in the theaters to escape my extended family). She also appeared in the short-lived CW show The Messengers, Lee Daniel’s Fox drama Star, and Apple TV+’s romance Little Voice. Keep an eye out, though, because I have a sense bigger things are coming.
8.Natasha Rothwell (Belinda)
Belinda, the life-changing masseuse, is played by none other than Natasha Rothwell, who has been popping up all over the place for the last few years. After a stint as a writer on Saturday Night Live, she became a writer, producer, and cast member on Issa Rae’s HBO comedy Insecure. Rothwell also showed up in both Love, Simon and Love, Victor as the school’s drama teacher. You can also catch her streaming in the Tiffany Haddish–Rose Byrne comedy Like a Boss, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, and Wonder Woman 1984.
9.Sydney Sweeney (Olivia Mossbacher)
Never has there been a more intimidating poolside force than Olivia Mossbacher. Not a chance in hell I’m going swimming with her withering glances bouncing around the deck. Olivia is played by Sydney Sweeney, who, while only 23, has been racking up IMDb credits for over a decade. She had in arc in Season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale before making it big playing Lexi’s older sister, Cassie, on Euphoria. She also showed up alongside Andrew Garfield in Under the Silver Lake, alongside Pete Davidson in Big Time Adolescence, and alongside Brad Pitt as one of the creepy ranch cult members in Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.
10.Steve Zahn (Mark Mossbacher)
When it comes to Steve Zahn, who plays Nicole’s husband with a health scare, Mark, the better question is where don’t you know him from. The comedian/character actor has shown up darn near everywhere since his 1994 appearance in Reality Bites. He works at Shop Around the Corner in You've Got Mail. He did voices in Stuart Little and Dr. Dolittle 2. He appeared in Daddy Day Care, Sahara, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. And of course, you can’t forget his roles in prestigious films like Dallas Buyers Club, Captain Fantastic, and Uncle Frank. And that’s just movies. Zahn appeared in an episode of Friends, was a regular on Treme, and had a guest role on Modern Family. Does the man sleep?
11.Jolene Purdy (Lani)
Prior to playing the secretly pregnant White Lotus trainee Lani, Jolene Purdy snagged a solid run of television roles. You’ve seen her most recently as one of Wanda and Vision’s neighbors on WandaVision, but prior to that, she had a recurring role on Orange Is the New Black and starred in the Eliza Coupe sitcom Benched and the CBS adaptation of Under the Dome. She’s been on Glee, Raising Hope, and Breaking Bad. And let’s not forget her acting debut in the cult classic Donnie Darko ("Chut up!").
12.Lukas Gage (Dillon)
If you’ve watched a show set in a high school over the past few years, you’ve probably spotted Lukas Gage, who finally ditched the classroom for a resort as one of the White Lotus staffers. He was Benji’s first boyfriend in Love, Victor and had stints on both Euphoria and American Vandal. Maybe there’s a role on the new Gossip Girl in his future? Or maybe he can get a role on a future Tristram Shapeero project after Shapeero badmouthed Gage during a Zoom audition and was forced to apologize. Cringe.
13.Alec Merlino (Hutch)
For those of you who are uninformed, The White Lotus is the brainchild of writer, actor, producer, and reality TV star Mike White. White has appeared on two seasons of The Amazing Race as well as Season 37 of Survivor (David vs. Goliath). Also on that season was Alec Merlino, who now appears here as Hutch, one of Armond’s lackeys at the White Lotus. This, of course, brings up the question, Who else from Survivor will be making an appearance? Fingers crossed it's Angelina, Natalie, and Natalie’s jacket.