All the 'White Lotus' stars get paid the same amount — and the salary is nonnegotiable
NEWS | 03 April 2025
Sarah Catherine Hook as Piper Ratliff, Parker Posey as Victoria Ratliff, and Sam Nivola as Lochlan Ratliff in season three of "The White Lotus." Sarah Catherine Hook as Piper Ratliff, Parker Posey as Victoria Ratliff, and Sam Nivola as Lochlan Ratliff in season three of "The White Lotus." Fabio Lovino/HBO This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Each season of HBO's Emmy-winning series "The White Lotus" features a mix of veteran actors and rising talent, but each series regular walks away with an equal paycheck. "Everyone is treated the same on 'The White Lotus,'" one of the show's producers, David Bernad, said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday. "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.'" The system has been in place since the show's first season, which originated as a low-cost pandemic experiment in filming in one fixed, COVID-safe location — in season one's case, the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Since premiering in summer 2021, "The White Lotus" has established itself as one of HBO's flagship shows. Each season focuses on a new group of wealthy guests staying at a different location of the titular luxury resort chain (the Thailand-set season three airs its season finale this Sunday). With 43 Emmy nominations and 15 wins to date, the anthology series' roles are some of the hottest in Hollywood. But whether you're a seasoned actor like Jason Isaacs or Walton Goggins or an up-and-coming star like Patrick Schwarzenegger or Aimee Lou Wood, you'll have to audition for a shot at a part — and the paycheck isn't exactly eye-popping, either. Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood in season three of "The White Lotus." Fabio Lovino/HBO THR reported that "White Lotus" series regulars make about $40,000 an episode, or roughly $320,000 for the eight-episode season — a far cry from the ballooning salaries of other TV mega-hits: the main cast of Netflix's "Stranger Things," for example, will reportedly make between $6 million and $9 million for the show's upcoming fifth season; main stars of "Game of Thrones" were making six figures per episode by the end of the hit HBO series' run. Bernad and the show's casting director, Meredith Tucker, said that having a fixed, equal salary for the series regulars levels the playing field. "It makes it so much easier," Tucker said. "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." Bernad added: "And it's not negotiable." This isn't the first time a cast has been paid equally for their work. The "Friends" cast famously negotiated to each be paid $1 million per episode at the height of the show's success in 2002, for example. But "The White Lotus" salaries stand out for being equally low, not high. While that might be a deterrent for some, the show's high profile all but guarantees that actors will get a boost in recognition if they're cast. For those who say yes, that's more than enough. "I think people love this show so much that they're willing to audition," Tucker said.
Author: Olivia Singh.
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