Sam Rockwell and off-screen friend Walton Goggins shared the screen together on the most recent episode of HBO’s The White Lotus Season 3, which also stars Rockwell’s longtime partner, Leslie Bibb.
While Rockwell and Goggins’ friendship has been long-lasting and pure off-screen, their on-screen relationship on The White Lotus is much more sinister.
Who does Sam Rockwell play in ‘The White Lotus’?
In the most recent episode, Rockwell debuts as Frank, the friend of Goggins’ character, Rick Hatchett. Rick asks Frank to come to the White Lotus to help him out with something.
Frank brings Rick the gun he requested to go after White Lotus resort co-owner Jim Hollinger, who Rick believes killed his father.
In the episode, Rockwell dives into a lengthy, wild monologue in which Frank tells Rick about his experience living in Thailand and how he has been addicted to sex, explored his sexuality, and has wondered if he wanted to become “one of these Asian girls,” and be penetrated by a man that looks like….well…himself! Despite he is also now a Buddhist and celibate after learning more about himself and being able to tone things down.
Walton Goggins on his ‘The White Lotus’ scenes with Sam Rockwell
On sharing the screen, Goggins told USA Today, “Sam is one of my best friends, and he’s also one of my heroes. It was riddled with anxiety because we know each other so well, and I certainly didn’t want to let him down. “The first words that came out of our mouths, it was as if we were these people our whole lives. And it was like we truly had met up after leading this kind of criminal expat life forever. It was everything that I had hoped it would be.”
Sam Rockwell’s ‘The White Lotus’ appearance was clear from a May Instagram post by Walton Goggins
Goggins posted about Rockwell in an Instagram post last May, when Goggins and Rockwell were presumably filming The White Lotus.
Under a picture of Rockwell, Goggins and Pedro Pascal, Goggins wrote, “Even paradise can get lonely…. Had cause to go thru and assemble some photos this morning. Came across so many dear friends. Gatdamn I miss y’all… and these two. I miss and love you boys so much!! My friend @piperperabo turned me onto this quote years ago by Lilian Whiting… ‘To be rich in friends is to be poor in nothing.’ Truth.”
Will Sam Rockwell return to ‘The White Lotus’?
Rockwell will be in at least one more episode of the season, if not more. He is confirmed to appear in Episode 6 this Sunday.
The series, which also stars Natasha Rothwell in a reprisal of her role from Season 1, airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO.
