The White Lotus Season 3 Features A Surprise Appearance From An Oscar-Winning Actor

This post contains spoilers for "The White Lotus."

We're past the midway point in the latest season of "The White Lotus," and things are more chaotic than one would expect. Episode 5, "Full-Moon Party," is the peak of anxious anticipation, as it carries the foreboding omen of a catastrophe waiting to happen, thanks to the questionable choices everyone makes. The previous episode saw a freaked-out Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) realize that his security gun is missing, and here, he grapples with the deadly consequences of his professional oversight. Meanwhile, Ratliff brothers Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola) party hard with Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), but the night ends with things getting really, really out of hand. We also witness Timothy (Jason Isaacs) being constantly on edge™, realizing that he needs to face every consequence for being a part of a Wall Street money laundering scheme.

As these rather serious events play out, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) is in grave danger as a pissed-off Greg/Gary (Jon Gries) is intent on silencing her before he talks. Greg, however, is not the only one with murder on his mind, as a revenge-fueled Rick (Walton Goggins) is currently in Bangkok with a half-baked plan to confront his father's alleged murderer. In previous episodes, Rick verbalized how utterly broken he is as a person and how his visit to Thailand is linked to his quest for emotional closure. Once in Bangkok, Rick meets up with an old friend (who remains unnamed as of now), played by none other than Oscar-winning and Emmy-nominated actor Sam Rockwell (!), who just casually saunters into the episode.

Let's dive into the motivations of this surprise character and the role he might end up playing in subsequent episodes of the show.

Rockwell's incredible versatility as an actor is on full display in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" (for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), and 2009's "Moon," where he plays a lonely lunar station employee who stumbles upon a horrifying existential secret. His vast filmography also includes "The Green Mile," "Matchstick Men," and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," among others. Also, fun fact: Rockwell is married to Leslie Bibb, who plays Kate in this season of "The White Lotus."

After Rick urges Rockwell's character to grab a drink at the bar with him, he refuses, saying that he has been sober for a few months. This conversation takes an unexpected turn when Rick's friend launches into a monologue about his evolving sexual identity and desires and how — in his view — it (inevitably) loops back to self-actualization and the notion of salvation. The irony of this monologue is not lost, as "The White Lotus" has primarily been about wealthy, predominantly white Western tourists viewing marginalized communities (which often include people of color) as gateways to some sort of spiritual ascension, with Eastern religion/spirituality being hastily appropriated to achieve that end. Season 3 hones in on this aspect, examining both sincere and hollow attempts by the wealthy/privileged to use Buddhism as a means to mend the cracks in their existence.

In the case of Rockwell's character, this perceived spiritual osmosis is accompanied by his mention of trans sex workers, whom he credits for his journey toward magical enlightenment, but we are (regrettably) not privy to the perspectives of the people he mentions. For a character who is simply meant to aid Rick in Bangkok and impersonate someone to ensure that everything goes to plan, the friend reveals a lot more than anticipated, representing a well-intentioned hollowness that the show has dissected time and again. Even his attempts to sober up and be in control of his life are tinted with a hunger to absorb and consume Eastern tenets of spirituality, which feels rather vacuous on closer inspection.

By the end of this revealing conversation, Rockwell's character hands Rick a weapon, and they agree to meet at Jim Hollinger's mansion for the fated encounter. Depending on how things pan out, Rick's friend might prove instrumental in the messy confrontation to come, one that will change the fates of everyone involved.

Episodes of "The White Lotus" season 3 drop every Sunday on HBO.