With filming on the near horizon, The White Lotus is beginning to ramp up the reveal of its next grand ensemble cast for its non-tropical season 4 set in France.
Vikings’ actor Alexander Ludwig and The Goldbergs’ AJ Michalka were announced as the first two cast members. Now, HBO has announced that Steve Coogan and Caleb Jonte Edwards will be added to the season 4 cast.
Of the four actors, Steve Coogan is the best-known — he’s a two-time Oscar nominee. The veteran actor is best known for his role as Alan Partridge, a parody of British TV personalities, and his influence is felt across numerous comedies over the years. But in this wide-reaching TV show, it will be his most prominent role in ages.
ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 24: Steve Coogan walks the red carpet ahead of the “Stan & Ollie” screening during the 13th Rome Film Fest at Auditorium Parco Della Musica on October 24, 2018 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Maria Moratti/Contigo/Getty Images)
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Edwards, meanwhile, is effectively a total unknown. He was in a single episode of Black Snow, a 2021 detective series. An interesting Vikings connection: Black Snow was led by Ragnar Lothbrok himself, Travis Fimmel, whose character was the father of Ludwig’s character in that show. My guess is that this is just a coincidence. But this does appear to be Edwards’ second mainstream acting role. What an opportunity.
There is a fifth cast member who is rumored, but not cast yet, though reporting on this show usually does pan out. That would be Chris Messina of Based on a True Story, Sharp Objects and The Mindy Project. You may not know his name, but I bet you’d recognize him:
Chris Messina in Sharp Objects
HBO
The reporting doesn’t say who any of these actors will play. The White Lotus is usually broken up into five or six groups of characters. So far, these four actors indicate fewer big-name actors, outsdie of Coogan, than usual. Season 3 featured Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Michelle Monaghan, the omnipresent Walton Goggins and even global Kpop superstar LISA. This isn’t meant to insult any of the cast so far; it’s just a bit different. Of course, there are still probably a dozen major roles yet to be announced, and some of the best White Lotus performances have been delivered by actors that were not as familiar to viewers before the show.
Current estimates say The White Lotus season 4 won’t have its premiere until May 2027, more than two years after the last season, and about as long as it was between seasons 2 and 3. Production on season 4 is supposed to begin next month.
Despite 23 nominations, The White Lotus season 3 was nearly shut out at the 2025 Emmys, winning only one award for its main title music. I would argue that season 3 was lacking compared to earlier seasons, but we’ll see what happens in season 4.
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