HBO

‘The White Lotus’ script supervisor wrote "crazy fake endings" that were distributed on set

By Sophia Soto | Last updated Apr 6, 2025 9:53 AM ET

With the finale of The White Lotus season 3 airing Sunday, everyone is on the edge of their seat to find out who will die. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, producer David Bernad revealed that the second season was "super lax," adding how "even Jennifer’s death scene was on the [script] sides."

However, this spoiled the finale for a well-known actor: "Woody Harrelson happened to be visiting the set, and he read them and was like, 'You ruined it for me!' We were idiots," he explained. "So, this season, our script supervisor wrote these crazy fake endings that we distributed on set. We didn’t distribute the real last script. People on set didn’t know, except the actors, obviously."

Parker Posey, who plays Victoria Ratliff, commented, "I forgot who died. It was so stressful when I read it. The dark stuff, I blazed through."

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A post shared by Sarah Catherine Hook (@sarahcatherine.hook)

Harrelson was actually supposed to be part of the cast this season and was "very excited," but shared, "unfortunately, their production schedule shifted, and conflicted with a pre-planned family vacation, forcing me to make an extremely hard decision. Things must be meant to be though, because I couldn’t have done as fantastic a job as Sam, who is killing it."

Carrie Coon, who takes on the role of Laurie Duffy, told the outlet, "These roles are highly coveted by all of our friends, so you want to show up and do a good job. You want people to say, 'I’m glad it was you.' There’s a lot of pressure."

Bernad confirmed that "everyone is treated the same" on the HBO series and even get paid the same with alphabetical billing. This ensures "you’re getting people who want to do the project for the right reasons." This system was developed during the first season because "there was no money to make the show."

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A post shared by Patrick Schwarzenegger (@patrickschwarzenegger)

As for this last episode, it is an hour and a half, and creator Mike White describes it as "kind of epic," expressing, "As a filmmaker, it’s probably the piece of work that I’m like, 'I can’t believe I did that.'"

Both Sarah Catherine Hook and Patrick Schwarzenegger, who play two of the Ratliff siblings, admit they don't know what happens. "The finale just needs to be out already! There was a lot to keep secret. I’m still feeling a bit suffocated. And I don’t even know what happens," Hook said.

The White Lotus streams on Max and airs on HBO at 9 PM EST.

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Yardbarker, Screensphere, Den of Geek, What to Watch, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, and Starry Constellation Magazine

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