6 ‘White Lotus’ Actors Who Starred in Other Mike White Shows

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The White Lotus season 3 is well underway, offering up drama, a murder mystery, and some incredible acting performances. For many of these actors, The White Lotus marks their first time working with the show’s multi-talented creator, Mike White. However, a few of them appeared in other Mike White projects long before The White Lotus came into being.

Mike White’s career is extensive and includes not only producer, writer, and director credits but also acting roles. While some of the actors below have appeared in multiple Mike White projects, others only played a small role in one series or appeared alongside him on reality TV. In each case, the projects themselves are worth praising, as are the performances the actors gave.

6
Molly Shannon

Molly Shannon gave a memorable performance in The White Lotus season 1 as Shane’s mother, Kitty Patton. She arrived at the resort to check in on Shane (Jake Lacy) and his new bride, Rachel (Alexandra Daddario), the latter of whom was understandably horrified to see her mother-in-law during her honeymoon. Kitty didn’t seem to notice or care, however, and instead spent her time trying to convince Rachel to enjoy her new status as a trophy wife while also complaining about the hotel’s “subpar” accommodations. It’s apparent where her son got his high-and-mighty attitude from, making him and his mother two of the least likable (though most entertaining) characters on the show.

Impressive Acting Range

Among all the names on this roster, it is Molly Shannon who has starred in the greatest number of projects written by Mike White, apart from ‘The White Lotus’. Her acting repertoire includes playing Peggy Spade in ‘Year of the Dog’, Eileen in ‘Enlightened’, and Lesley Shackleton in ‘Cracking Up’. Each of these roles displayed a unique aspect of Shannon’s talent as an actress, demonstrating her versatility, depth, and determination.

5
Laura Dern

Although the actress didn’t appear on the show in person, Laura Dern played an important role in The White Lotus season 2. She made a voice cameo as Dominic Di Grasso’s (Michael Imperioli) wife, Abby, in the episodes “Ciao” and “Arrivederci.” It was quickly revealed that she had chosen not to go with the rest of the family to the resort after learning of Dominic’s infidelity. Toward the end of the season, her son, Albie (Adam DiMarco), seemingly convinced her to forgive Dominic—even though he didn’t really deserve it.

Talents Outside of Acting

Laura Dern appeared in both Year of the Dog and Enlightened. In the movie, she played Bret Spade, sister-in-law to Peggy, and in the TV show, she played the main role of Amy Jellicoe. She also helped create Enlightened and served as the series’ narrator, showing that, just like Mike White, she has an impressive range of skills outside of acting.

4
Lukas Gage

Lukas Gage played the role of Dillon in The White Lotus season 1, a member of the hotel staff who worked at the White Lotus under the supervision of resort manager Armond (Murray Bartlett). At the peak of Armond’s drug-fueled mental health spiral, he offered Dillon better shifts in exchange for sexual favors. Already a concerning power dynamic, things got even worse when the two were caught by Shane in a very workplace-inappropriate situation in Armond’s office.

Breakout Role

Before The White Lotus, Gage played the role of a therapy group member in the “Higher Power” episode of Mike White’s Enlightened. This was one of his first-ever TV roles, as well as the only Mike White project he was in before The White Lotus. Since appearing in the series, he’s gone on to star in several other movies and shows, including Companion, Smile 2, and You. It’s interesting that White’s Enlightened started Gage’s career and that The White Lotus seemingly took it to the next level.

3
Jennifer Coolidge

Jennifer Coolidge‘s performance as Tanya McQuoid was one of the best things to come out of The White Lotus. The self-described “straight-up alcoholic lunatic” arrived in Season 1 with the goal of scattering her mother’s ashes. By the end of that season, she’d fallen in love with Greg (Jon Gries), a man who would later orchestrate her death in Season 2. While we wish we could bring Coolidge back to The White Lotus (maybe in a prequel series), for now, we’ll just have to appreciate her appearances in some of Mike White’s other projects.

Mother, Mother, Mother

Coolidge starred in Gentlemen Broncos as Judith Purvis and was also the voice actor for Mary Meh in The Emoji Movie. Notably, both of these characters were mothers to the movies’ protagonists. Since Tanya’s journey began with her own mother’s death, it feels poetic to see Coolidge playing these parts (though what would be even more poetic, of course, would be Greg suffering a similar fate to Tanya’s own).

2
Connie Britton

Nicole Mossbacher was the matriarch of the Mossbacher family in The White Lotus season 1. CFO of a tech company, she spent much of her time at the resort trying to reorganize the room and attend work meetings. She also had a complicated relationship with her husband, Mark (Steve Zahn), which started to heal after he tried to save her from a robber. We’re not sure what became of Nicole since leaving the resort, but she certainly played a role in making The White Lotus the standout show it is today.

Similar Yet Different Role

Connie Britton played Kathy in Mike White’s movie Beatriz at Dinner. Like Nicole, Kathy was a wealthy woman who seemed to have some ups and downs in her marriage. However, Nicole was much more career-driven and seemed more self-aware than Kathy. In both cases, Mossbacher did an exceptional job of bringing the characters to life in all their privilege and complexities.

1
Former Survivor Cast Mates

This is a unique entry on this list, not only because it consists of five people, but also because it’s in a somewhat gray area concerning “Mike White projects.” Mike White did not help write, produce, or otherwise create Survivor, but he did sometimes offer Jeff Probst ideas to help improve the series, and he eventually joined as a player on the season David vs. Goliath, where he came in second. Plus, Survivor was hugely inspirational to The White Lotus, so at the very least, we think it deserves an honorary mention on this list.

Outwit, Outpay, Outclass

Several of White’s former cast mates from Survivor have appeared in cameo roles on The White Lotus. As of now, this has included Natalie Cole, Carl Boudreaux, Alec Merlino, Angelina Keeley, and Kara Kay. With season 4 of The White Lotus officially confirmed, we can only hope for even more of these cameos, as well as appearances from other actors who played a part in Mike White’s earlier projects.

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2025-03-16 21:09