The White Lotus Cast Salary Revealed: Here's How Much All the Actors Make
HBO's buzzy satirical murder dramedy (rich people mystery anthology? Hard to categorize this one) The White Lotus has always been something of an outlier. It was initially conceived as a pandemic project: HBO asked Mike White, who had previously created Enlightenment for the company and is known for drafting scripts quickly, to write something that could be shot in a COVID-safe “bubble,” and he turned in an ensemble season set at a swanky Hawaiian resort that fulfilled those criteria. The show was such a hit that even after testing and travel restrictions eased, HBO kept making more seasons.
The White Lotus Cast Salary Revealed: Here's How Much All the Actors Make
There's also been an edict in place from the beginning that's unusual (but not unheard of) in the world of Hollywood: the whole cast, from award-winners to newcomers, makes the same amount per episode. And it's not that much.
“Everyone is treated the same on The White Lotus. They get paid the same, and we do alphabetical billing, so you’re getting people who want to do the project for the right reasons, not to quote The Bachelor. It’s a system we developed in the first season because there was no money to make the show,” producer David Bernad told The Hollywood Reporter as the third season finale aired.
Casting director Meredith Tucker added, “It makes it so much easier. You tell people this is what it is. And some won’t do it—and honestly, you can’t hold it against people who need to make a living. Our series regulars are pretty much doing this for scale.” (For scale meaning the SAG/AFTRA minimum)
So, what does that work out to? Well, Jason Isaacs finally confirmed the number: $40,000 per episode, or roughly $320,000 for a season. Which is not, under any circumstances, a pittance, especially when the job is staying in a swanky resort and acting, not coal mining. But after taxes and deductions (percentages to agents, lawyers, managers, publicists, all the rest), it's not what you'd expect for a lead of one of the buzziest shows of the year. Like, it's way less than what the Succession cast got.
But the point, at least for Isaacs, was to work on a quality project, and that's exactly what he got to do. “The fact is, we would have paid to be in it. We probably would have given a body part,” he said in a recent profile, per Variety. “Do I mind that I wasn’t paid more than [less-established co-stars]? I never work for money.”
