Steve Coogan reveals why Helena Bonham Carter was axed from ‘The White Lotus’
Steve Coogan has revealed more surrounding the reason Helena Bonham Carter was cut from The White Lotus, saying the actor and the creatives realised “something isn’t working”.
Coogan was appearing on the red carpet of the Bafta TV Awards in London on May 10th, when he was asked about his would-be co-star in the upcoming fourth series of the Mike White drama, and why she ultimately walked away from the show after being cast.
The actor told Deadline: “It was like, sometimes you find that something isn’t working the way you want it to, in terms of, like, the character and the dynamic of the whole story,” before going on to say that Bonham Carter’s departure was a “mutual decision”.
Coogan also added, “The whole part was rewritten from scratch,” referencing the fact that Laura Dern, a longtime collaborator and friend of White, has now been cast as the actor’s replacement, albeit as a different character.
Just after filming had begun for the series in France, back in February, HBO confirmed that Bonham Carter had parted ways with The White Lotus as she “did not align” with the character that had been written for her.
Known for its exotic shooting locations, the show is set to take place against the luxury backdrop of the Cannes Film Festival. The synopsis for the series said it is set to follow a group of hotel guests and stars over the span of a week at the world-famous cinema event.
Coogan and Dern are now the most high-profile names in the cast, alongside Vincent Cassel, Caleb Jonte Edwards, Dylan Ennis, Corentin Fila, Ari Graynor, Marissa Long, Alexander Ludwig, Chris Messina, AJ Michalka, Kumail Nanjiani, and Nadia Tereszkiewicz.
It is also being rounded out by Chloe Bennet, Sandra Bernhard, Heather Graham, Max Greenfield, Frida Gustavsson, Charlie Hall, Jarrad Paul, Rosie Perez, Ben Schnetzer, and Laura Smet.
For his own part, Coogan said he was relishing the chance of working on the series alongside its creator White so far, explaining, “He’s quite collaborative. He lets you embellish and improvise and so I’m in my comfort zone.”
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.