‘White Lotus’ Stars React To Season 3 Finale: Rumored Feuds, Alternate Endings & That Dirty Blender

In case you weren’t shocked enough by HBO’s record-breaking “The White Lotus” Season 3 finale, the cast shared their own reactions to its devastating end and viewer reception over the course of this past week. Taking to talk shows and various magazines, stars Aimee Lou Wood, Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Sam Nivola, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Natasha Rothwell, Parker Posey, and Jason Isaacs had a LOT to say. Having trouble keeping up? Here is everything you need to know all in one place!

Walton Goggins 

Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins made headlines this week for a rumored feud, as fans noticed that they seemingly unfollowed each other on social media, despite following their other co–stars. Though Jason Isaacs said in an interview with “Vulture” that “there were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost” on the “White Lotus” set, Goggins described Wood with great appreciation as someone in his “tribe” and “someone [he] could do this journey with” on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” earlier this week, and gave her a sweet shoutout on Instagram after the tragic finale. 

He also shared that three weeks ago he reenacted the show’s entire ending for his wife because he was feeling anxious for the finale to premiere. He had carried Rick’s “sadness” alone for so long, so now he is just happy that he finally has “people to talk to.”  

 And yes, Goggins heard all of your conspiracy theories on how the show would end! He told “CBS Mornings” that people would approach him in public and share what they thought would happen – and he wasn’t the only member of the cast who was approached in the street leading up to the finale.  

Aimee Lou Wood 

 In an interview with “British GQ,” Wood shared that people would go up to her and beg her not to die. Of course, Aimee found it impossible to “keep a straight face!” That said, she stated that until she saw herself die onscreen, she “wondered whether it was real,“ as “The White Lotus” notoriously filmed alternate endings to throw people off the scent of what really happened in the finale. But now that she has watched her character Chelsea’s death, she told the mag that she is able to let her go and shared that Chelsea has taught her to be present in the moment rather than obsess over fate like her character, who she saw as a “sacrificial lamb.” She even encouraged “White Lotus” creator Mike White that Chelsea had to die because “she’s the most hopeful character on the show.”  

 Time has also given Wood a new perspective on Chelsea’s relationship with Rick, Goggins’ character. The idea that Rick and Chelsea are soulmates has started to look different to her. She explained that a lot of people might recognize their relationship as toxic and one sided – the kind of relationship where “it’s only after you leave that relationship that you go ‘what the f*ck was I doing for so long?'”

 Her final ask now that the show is over? That people stop discussing her teeth. She said, “it makes me a bit sad because I’m not getting to talk about my work.”  

Patrick Schwarzenegger 

Someone else who has been frequently stopped on the street is Patrick Schwarzenegger, who revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that people would approach him on the street and tell them “you’re so, like, hateable.” He shared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” however, that before THAT incest revelation “finance bros” would high five him on the street (which all stopped after the reveal in Episode 5) and, recently, 40 people applauded him in a restaurant – which he promptly had to leave after being overwhelmed by emotion.  

 Who would have thought that his character would end up a fan favorite? He revealed that his father, the ultra-famous Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a “big fan of the show, and he was proud of me.” He also told Deadline that he was “surprised by the path his self-assured character takes,” in which he unexpectedly seeks “enlightenment”, and which allows for “humanizing moments that you never thought would be possible.” His expression when he watched Chelsea run into Rick’s arms also went viral and he shared that White wanted his expression to leave the viewer wondering if Chelsea changed his character, Saxon for the better.  

We as viewers aren’t the only ones left wondering — Schwarzenegger shared that he has “so many questions” for Mike White about what happens to the Ratliff family after the show, but joked that while he isn’t a writer, he could see there being a comedy spinoff that follows the family. He suggested that Saxon could return to the White Lotus (hotel and show) as a “spiritual advisor.” 

… Or the janitor. 

Jason Isaacs 

Jason Isaacs shared his own take on the Ratliffs’ ending on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” On the boat at the very end of the show, his character Timothy Ratliff thinks “you know what thank God I’m just an ordinary person.” Timothy looks at his family and thinks “you’re going to be alright,” despite their lives dramatically changing the second they get back to the United States. 

Isaacs also took to SirusXM’s TODAY Show Radio to address how his comments fueled the rumors surrounding Goggins’ and Wood’s unsubstantiated feud and called fans “amateur Sherlock Holmes’.” Ouch! But fair.  

Sam Nivola 

The other brother in the Ratliff family, Sam Nivola, responded to the question that we all were asking after that finale – why would you ever use a dirty blender?? On “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Nivola responded, “a little extra protein never hurt anyone.” That is *definitely* subjective.   

Like Goggins, Nivola had also been following fan theories and shared that the only one he saw that came close to cracking the case was the popular “rule of threes” theory. He noted, with excitement, that three people do indeed die!  

Parker Posey 

Nivola’s on-screen mom Parker Posey made headlines earlier in the week with claims that she “forgot” what happened at the end of the show and it seems like this is, shockingly, a sentiment shared by the rest of the cast.  

Carrie Coon 

Along with Schwarzenegger, who refused to read anyone else’s script, Carrie Coon was determined to watch the show like anyone else. She said to Variety that she had “kept a loose grip on the other storylines so I could enjoy the show as a fan. So I kind of forgot what happened.” She also teased a director’s cut on Blu-Ray of the original TWO AND A HALF HOUR LONG finale. We were robbed! 

She also shared that she and the other members of the girls trip, Leslie Bibb and Michelle Monaghan were worried that their storyline would be boring. That said, Mike White apparently “delighted in their dynamic” allowing Laurie’s widely praised final speech at dinner to “the heart of the season.” She revealed that they shot her speech many times, stating that “the only way you can do something like that with any truthfulness is because of the people who are listening to you” giving Bibb and Monaghan credit for helping her genius acting.  

Another incredible acting moment that went viral? Laurie’s run during the finale’s shootout where she absolutely booked it. Coon stated, “there wasn’t direction… I’m an American and I’m a New Yorker… the Americans are not playing. They know what this means!” 

Earlier in the week Meghan McCain made headlines, slut-shaming Coon’s character. Coon shut it down with a classy (and maybe a little sassy) response: “I hope Meghan enjoyed the finale. I’m glad she’s watching the show.” We are waiting on McCain to confirm enjoyment.  

On a more serious note, being able to film with her peers, including Posey and Natasha Rothwell, meant the world to her. Coon stated, “I so rarely get the opportunity to work with women my own age in a piece.”  

Natasha Rothwell  

Last but not at all least, Rothwell addressed her character’s hotly contested ending in an interview with Variety. Fans were critical of the ending on social media, saying that her character, Belinda, compromised her morals and did to her love interest Pornchai, exactly what Jennifer Coolidge’s character, Tanya, did to Belinda in Season 1. Rothwell explained that she didn’t want to play the final moment on the boat where she leaves Pornchai “with guilt” saying that there is a difference between those relationships, as Tanya explicitly agreed to start a business where Belinda didn’t. She said that she didn’t think Bellinda was all-in on starting a business with Pornchai because “it’s impractical.”  

Though she conceded that Belinda compromised on her morals, it was worth it. She said, wisely, “when you make a decision that’s best for you, it can be hard when someone else is not benefiting from it or is hurt by it, but it’s absolutely okay and necessary to make decisions that are in your own best interest. And we’re seeing Belinda make a decision in her best interest. For the first time, she’s not putting other people’s needs before her own.” And she completely appreciated Belinda getting her five-million-dollar bag saying, “I want to know what it’s like to have the power over a white man. I have had to serve so many of them. This is a moment where I can step into that power.” 

She also reacted to all of us being scared for Belinda throughout the season. She revealed that she was “worried” for her character while reading her scripts, validating the tension we all felt and said that she saw how worried we were! She suggested that we shouldn’t be relived yet – her “fanfic pitch” is that there is “a version [of the ending] where Belinda takes the money and tells the police” and Greg would go after her. It is safe to say we are happy that for Belinda, the season ended when it did.