Twice Emmy-nominated Walton Goggins opens up about his emotional reaction to being cast in Mike White’s The White Lotus Season 3 and reflects on the intense experience of portraying Rick Hatchett in Thailand.
📍 Washington DC | April 21, 2025
Actor Walton Goggins has revealed that he cried upon learning he had been cast in the highly anticipated third season of HBO’s The White Lotus, created by Mike White. Speaking to The Daily Mail, as reported by Deadline, Goggins described the opportunity as a “golden ticket” and a dream collaboration.
“It was just the opportunity to go on a journey that comes from that man’s [White’s] imagination. Things that are interesting to him are interesting to me,” Goggins shared.
🎭 Goggins as Rick Hatchett: Vengeance, Vulnerability, and Emotional Weight
In The White Lotus Season 3, Goggins plays Rick Hatchett, a grief-stricken man driven by the desire to avenge his father’s death. He is accompanied by his much younger and enigmatic partner, Chelsea, played by Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education).
Goggins’ complex portrayal brought raw emotion and psychological depth to the series’ dark satire.
“Rick Hatchett was a lot to carry,” he confessed. “I’m so relieved it’s out in the world… for the first time in a long time, I can exhale. A big exhale.”
🌴 Filming in Thailand: An Immersive Escape
Goggins and the rest of the cast spent several months filming at the Four Seasons resort in Ko Samui, Thailand, soaking in both the paradise-like setting and the psychological toll of their characters’ twisted arcs.
The exotic backdrop of Season 3 once again adds to The White Lotus signature contrast of luxury and existential dread.
📈 Goggins’ Career Surges After White Lotus
Best known for his roles in Justified and Amazon Prime’s hit Fallout, Goggins has reached new heights of fame thanks to The White Lotus.
His rising star has also benefited his other HBO series, The Righteous Gemstones, which reportedly gained over one million viewers per episode after airing immediately following White Lotus.
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Walton Goggins, The White Lotus Season 3, HBO, Rick Hatchett, Mike White, Aimee Lou Wood, The Righteous Gemstones, Justified, Fallout, Thailand, HBO Originals, Emmy Nominee, Hollywood News