This Popular White Lotus Star Was Supposed To Play a Different Character in the Show

The White Lotus is undoubtedly the most talked-about show of 2025, with its highly-anticipated fourth season officially in the works.

And from news around Mike White's rumoured castings - ahem Helena Bonham Carter, to the confirmed season four location, the upcoming HBO project is all anyone can talk about.

It was the show's former seasons that made headlines this week however, with news resurfacing around Meghann Fahy's casting.

The 35-year-old famously starred in The White Lotus season two in Sicily, Italy, as Daphne Sullivan - a role that earned her an Emmy Award nomination.

However, according to Fahy, she was originally intending to star in season one, with the actress narrowly missing out on a starring role.

The role in question? Rachel Patten, the newlywed journalist and wife of Mr 'Pineapple Suite', with the sought-after part ultimately going to Alexandra Daddario.

However, White apparently thought of Fahy the following season, believing her portrayal of Daphne Sullivan would compliment Aubrey Plaza's deadpan depiction of Harper Spiller. And the rest as they say, is history.

"You think she’s just a bimbo trophy wife, but she brought a depth that made it a more interesting dynamic," Mike White has explained of Fahy's White Lotus character, praising her portrayal. "She’s just so likable that you’re like, 'Yeah, I agree. Why follow the news? Why vote? I’m with her!'"

"She’s definitely a mixture of a few people that I either know, or know of," Fahy has previously explained of her character in an interview with ELLE. "She's like a 'zen mummy' that you see on Instagram. These beautiful women wearing flowing $800 floral dresses who always have a baby on a hip. They have all these kids, and just look so effortless and fun. Everything just seems simple for her, from the outside."

"It's a rare thing to be on a show that is such a cultural phenomenon," Fahy added while discussing her time on The White Lotus. "It is sort of a once in a career thing."

And when asked about whether she would return to the show amid rumours of an all-star White Lotus series, Fahy confirmed that she would "in a heartbeat".

"I, of course, would love to - in a heartbeat," she explained to Entertainment Weekly. "That's the easiest yes in the world."

And even if her character isn't brought back, she explained that the premise is "something [she] would love to watch," stating: "I love the show so much and there's so many amazing characters."

Well, that's that.