Sam Rockwell Surprises Fans with Unexpected Cameo in Episode 5 of ‘The White Lotus’
Attention: This article includes spoilers for Season 3 of “The White Lotus.”
Ke Huy Quan is not the sole Oscar-winning actor making a cameo appearance in Season 3 of “The White Lotus.”
Sam Rockwell, who took home the Academy Award for best supporting actor in 2018, made an unexpected appearance in Episode 5, which aired on March 16, portraying Rick’s old friend, Frank. Interestingly, his real-life partner, Leslie Bibb, plays Kate in this season of the series.
In this episode, Rick (Walton Goggins) reconnects with Frank in Bangkok, just before Rick’s visit to Sritala, the owner of the White Lotus hotel in Koh Samui, and her husband, whom Rick suspects to be responsible for his father’s death before his birth.
While they are reminiscing in a bar, Frank delivers an unusual monologue covering topics like sexuality, alcoholism, and Buddhism, leaving Rick bewildered as he attempts to grasp Frank’s convoluted thoughts.
“Maybe what I really want is to be one of these Asian girls,” Frank states, prompting a reaction shot of Rick with his mouth agape as he responds, “Really?”
Rick’s astonishment quickly turned into a meme among viewers, who were also processing another shocking moment from the episode, which included a kiss between two of the Ratliff siblings and Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) cheating on her husband with hotel wellness expert Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius).
“Literally my face the entire time while watching episode 5 of The White Lotus,” one X user tweeted alongside a photo of Goggins looking alarmed.
“everyone’s face watching the white lotus tonight,” another X user posted, including four images of Goggins showing varied expressions.
“Rick’s facial expressions have me CRYING,” another tweeted.
After enduring Frank’s unsettling speech, Rick finally receives what he came for: a black duffel bag slid across the floor by Frank.
“I hope you don’t have to use it,” Frank remarks, as viewers realize there’s now another weapon in play, in addition to hotel security guard Gaitok’s, currently with Tim, the Southern father of three grappling with legal troubles back in the U.S. due to fraud.
Tim (Jason Isaacs) was seen holding a gun to his head while having a note in hand when his wife Victoria (Parker Posey) entered their villa’s living room, leading him to conceal the weapon as she inquired about his sleeplessness.
He expressed the intense strain he was under, prompting Victoria to suggest he return to bed. At the same time, their two sons, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola), attended the Full Moon party, eventually sharing a kiss upon returning to Greg’s yacht.
Schwarzenegger shared with TODAY.com that show creator Mike White wanted the audience to ponder the implications of the kiss.
“Was there a power shift occurring? Is there a new power dynamic between him and Lochy? Is Lochy making advances? Is it the substances? Is it the girls influencing him? What does it signify? I think he leaves that open-ended for viewers to interpret,” Schwarzenegger explained.
He further noted that a central theme of the show is how characters enter the hotel as one individual and emerge as someone entirely different.
“I think that resonates strongly for Saxon,” he added. “He walks into the White Lotus exuding confidence about his identity, only to have everything questioned through his experiences there.”
