‘White Lotus’ producer reveals Evan Peters almost played Aubrey Plaza’s husband in Season 2

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

Even after the shocking Season 2 finale of “White Lotus,” the Emmy-winning series is still surprising viewers.

Executive producer David Bernad spoke at the Berlinale Series Market — an event for TV industry professionals — in Germany on Wednesday, and revealed that “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” star Evan Peters almost played Ethan, Aubrey Plaza’s character Harper’s on-screen husband in the hit HBO show. (CNN and HBO are both part of the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)

“That part was the last part we cast in the season,” Bernad said, according to Deadline.

He added that, ultimately, the timing didn’t work out with Peters.

CNN has reached out to a representative for Peters for comment.

The part ended up going to actor Will Sharpe — previously best known for starring alongside Oscar-winner Olivia Colman in the 2016 TV series “Flowers” — and he proved to be a breakout hit in the role as the quietly frustrated, newly wealthy tech entrepreneur.

Bernad explained that after Peters fell through, they tried to find an unfamiliar face for the Ethan role, and that during a 4am jetlagged Google search session, he came across Sharpe.

“I’d never seen him before and he was just incredibly talented,” he said. After looking into Sharpe’s other work, Bernad said Sharpe was appealing because he “was kind of a chameleon.”

“White Lotus” is a social satire that follows the exploits of guests, employees and locals at an exclusive resort. The series, from writer-director Mike White, doubles as a whodunit of sorts, with a murder mystery presented at the start that unravels throughout the season.

Speaking to “CNN This Morning” in December 2022 about the major twist in the Season 2 finale, Sharpe said that White “did want Ethan to be a kind of an enigma, especially toward the beginning of the series and for it to be an available theory” that Ethan was the killer.

Looking ahead, Bernad also indicated this week that he and White are aiming for a location set in Asia for the next go-round, saying, “hopefully Season 3 will be our chance to make something happen there.”

“White Lotus” was renewed for a third season in November but a release date for the premiere has not been announced.

The-CNN-Wire
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