Evan Peters Almost Played This Fan-Favorite Character in 'The White Lotus' Season 2

"Originally it was supposed to be Evan Peters, but for whatever reason — scheduling or timing — it didn't work out," series executive producer David Bernad said of the role

Evan Peters. Photo: getty; hbo

Evan Peters was very close to being part of the star-studded cast in season 2 of The White Lotus.

In a conversation with Deadline, the show's executive producer David Bernad revealed that the Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story actor, 36, was initially supposed to play the role of Ethan Spiller before it went to Will Sharpe.

"That part was the last part we cast in the season, and originally it was supposed to be Evan Peters, but for whatever reason — scheduling or timing — it didn't work out," Bernad said. "We were really trying to figure how to cast that part so it didn't feel like familiar casting."

However, Bernad ultimately found their Ethan while auditioning Italian actors in Rome.

"I was jet-lagged googling at 4 a.m., and I came across Will Sharpe in Giri/Haji, which is a brilliant show in the U.K.," Bernad said of the 36-year-old actor. "I'd never seen him before, and he was just incredibly talented. I looked at his other work and realized he was kind of a chameleon."

Will Sharpe in The White Lotus. hbo

In the second season of the acclaimed HBO series, Ethan and his wife Harper (Aubrey Plaza) vacation with another married couple, Cameron and Daphne Babcock, played by Theo James and Meghann Fahy.

However, the lines are blurred when the couples start to question the concept of monogamy with each other.

The second season also starred Jennifer Coolidge, Haley Lu Richardson, Leo Woodall, Michael Imperioli, Adam DiMarco, F. Murray Abraham, Jon Gries, and Tom Hollander.

The White Lotus became an overnight success after its July 2021 premiere. It also went up for a number of Emmys this past fall, with Coolidge scoring a win for her work. The show has only grown in popularity with its second season, which premiered in October.

Aubrey Plaza and Will Sharpe in The White Lotus. Stefano Delia/HBO

In November, series creator Mike White confirmed that a third installment of the vacation-based hit was on the horizon.

"[Mike's] courage to explore the uncharted waters of the human psyche, paired with his signature irreverent humor and buoyant directing style, have us all dreaming of more vacation days at the resort we've come to adore," executive vice president of HBO Programming Francesca Orsi said in a statement.

In announcing that the show had been renewed for a third season, White also indirectly confirmed rumors the new season will take place in Asia.

"The first season we highlighted money and then the second season is sex," he explained. "And I think the third season, it would be maybe a kind of satirical and funny look at death in Eastern religion and spirituality — it feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus."

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The first two seasons of The White Lotus can be streamed in full on HBO Max.