Laura Dern is checking into The White Lotus, following Helena Bonham Carter's sudden departure from the hit HBO series.
Bonham Carter left the show late last week, shortly after filming began in France. In a statement at the time, HBO said: 'With filming just underway on Season 4 of The White Lotus, it had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set.' The network confirmed the role would be 'rewritten' and 'recast,' and Deadline reports that Dern will now fill the vacancy.
Dern and The White Lotus creator Mike White previously collaborated on the HBO show Enlightened, which aired from 2011 to 2013. The series starred Dern as a woman who embarks on a philosophical and spiritual journey after destroying her high-flying corporate career.
Season four of The White Lotus has been filming for just over a week on the French Riviera, following a new group of wealthy hotel guests during the Cannes Film Festival. Filming is taking place in Cannes, St Tropez, and Monaco, with the five-star hotel Airelles Château de la Messardière serving as the White Lotus du Cap.
Alongside Dern, the cast includes Steve Coogan, Rosie Perez, Heather Graham, Max Greenfield, Kumail Nanjiani, Vincent Cassel, Chloe Bennet, Sandra Bernhard, Frida Gustavsson, Charlie Hall, Jarrad Paul, Ben Schnetzer, and Laura Smet.
The Independent's Adam White noted that 'losing an actor like Bonham Carter, who is so richly capable of the kind of cutting camp that White Lotus best traffics in, is a bit of a blow.' He pointed out that the show is no stranger to behind-the-scenes drama, adding: 'By nature of the show's premise – which required its stars to live together for months on end in an exotic locale – there were always rumors of behind-the-scenes hook-ups and occasional conflict. Just like a group holiday gone wrong.'
Season two stars Leo Woodall and Meghann Fahy met and fell in love on set, despite never sharing actual scenes, while tabloids reported that on-screen feuding between season one's Murray Bartlett and Jake Lacy occasionally spilled into reality (which both denied). However, it was the show's third outing last year that saw production for a Thailand-set season plagued by conflict both on and off the set.
