Sam Rockwell’s White Lotus monologue and character transformation became a focal point of Season 3, but this defining moment almost took a much different turn. Originally, Woody Harrelson was attached to play the role of Frank, an intimate friend to Walton Goggins’ Rick. When Harrelson’s schedule shifted, Rockwell assumed the part, placing his own creative mark on the character in a short window before filming began.
“With that monologue, there’s many ways to go, and I think someone’s tendency might be — or even my tendency was — to do a Southern accent. I guess because Woody was gonna do it, I had a kind of very sort of masculine Southern accent in my head,”
—Sam Rockwell
As he described, the initial urge was to lean on a Southern twang, a choice likely influenced by Harrelson’s prior association. Rockwell admits he even experimented with the accent during rehearsal until he realized the speech needed to be more personal to him.
“So occasionally I would do that [while prepping]. And then I just realized that in order to really get to what was really great about that monologue, I had to get more of Sam in there,”
—Sam Rockwell
Distilling the Essence of Frank’s Story
Choosing simplicity became Rockwell’s guiding principle for both the character and the pivotal five-minute monologue, aligning with the vision set by show creator Mike White. For Rockwell, Frank’s journey, especially in that monologue, meant stripping away excess to capture emotional authenticity.
“The conflict between the search for spirituality and selfishness, that’s what most of the characters are struggling with,”
—Sam Rockwell
He credits White’s writing for capturing the season’s themes so succinctly, urging a need for sincerity and seriousness in his performance.
“That’s why it has to be uber, uber, uber honest and come from this place of gravitas,”
—Sam Rockwell
The Pivotal Role of Leslie Bibb in Rockwell’s Decision
If Rockwell claims an Emmy for this performance, much of his gratitude goes to Leslie Bibb for encouraging him. Bibb, already cast as Kate in The White Lotus and captivated by the script, persuaded Rockwell to accept the role after White reached out due to their past work together on Gentlemen Broncos and The One and Only Ivan.
“Really, this is what Mike is talking about: How we want to live our life, and the honesty with which we want to live our life, the vulnerability with which we want to live our life, and risking getting to know who we are, and is who I am in here different from who I am out here — that balance between spirit and form,”
—Leslie Bibb
Rockwell hesitated due to his commitments filming Gore Verbinski’s Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, which included its own demanding monologue. Concerned about inadequate preparation, he nearly declined but was persuaded by Bibb during a location visit in South Africa. Their afternoons together on safari were spent running lines to help Rockwell memorize the script in the condensed six-week prep period.
To ease his anxiety about the brief preparation time, Rockwell joked to White that he might require a teleprompter or cue cards, while the crew even readied an earpiece in case. Ultimately, he managed to deliver the monologue in extended takes without aid, a testament to his intensive preparation and partnership with Bibb.
Mike White’s Directorial Influence and Acting Process
Rockwell recalls that it was White who asked him to slow down during the performance, guiding him toward greater patience and use of stillness onscreen.
“What’s great about Mike is he told me to slow down. I was doing it very fast, and he’s not afraid of pauses and taking time,”
—Sam Rockwell
Working closely with acting coach Terry Knickerbocker, Rockwell built Frank’s character by drawing on influences like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now. This collaboration led to a complex crafting of Frank as a juxtaposition between a tough exterior and inward vulnerability.
“Because [Frank] is struggling with spirituality and selfishness, and the need for pleasure and this inward femininity, I really think the exterior needed to be very masculine to juxtapose that, for me to make it interesting,”
—Sam Rockwell
The backstory for Frank and Rick hinted that they had military pasts, something Rockwell incorporated physically with Navy SEAL-inspired tattoos, scars, and a shaved head to fully embody the character’s rough edges.
“Frank gives him a gun, we had a checkered past. Maybe we were mercenaries. We didn’t want to get too specific about it, but I got a Navy SEAL tattoo that nobody would notice, the frog skeleton, and I got some scars to kind of rough up my exterior a little bit. I shaved my head,”
—Sam Rockwell
Building on Previous Roles and Life Experiences
Many of Rockwell’s past performances informed how he approached Frank, with elements from films like Choke, which explored addiction, as well as Drunks and roles as ex-military figures surfacing as preparation for this nuanced part.
“Choke [2008] was a movie I did that was about a sex addict, and that was good preparation for this monologue. And then I’d done stuff where I played an ex-Navy SEAL, so I’d already done that research. And then there was the Buddhism aspect, I just watched a couple of documentaries. And I did Drunks [1995] with Parker Posey, which was about Alcoholics Anonymous and NA. It’s funny, it’s like you play Laertes before you play Hamlet, you know, and there’s an apprenticeship. So a lot of the parts that I’ve done, there were aspects of Frank in and it all came together,”
—Sam Rockwell
An additional layer was suggested by Knickerbocker, who recommended that Frank’s undercover persona as Hollywood director Steve be played almost as an entirely different character. Rockwell pitched this to White, who readily approved.
“That’s why we had the Tony Scott sort of baseball cap, and the Members Only jacket, kind of what Frank’s idea of a director might have been from the ’80s or ’90s,”
—Sam Rockwell
Reimagining Pivotal Scenes and Physical Transformation
Rockwell’s collaborative approach led to several key revisions in how Frank was presented on screen. For instance, he lobbied for the notorious party scene—which initially depicted Frank merely having sex—to be transformed into a much darker and more chaotic spectacle, showcasing the depths of Frank’s character.
“I said, ‘You know, we should really do this arc of Buddhist to Bad Lieutenant, and maybe I should be smoking crack. And there should be something kind of dangerous, like a knife or something. And we had some nunchucks — I mean, that got a little silly. So we had the crack pipe, and the girls were there hanging out, and I just said, ‘Let’s do this [bit showing them my knife skills].’ I’d done this movie Mr. Wright [2015] where I learned some of this knife stuff. … It was a way to show his nuttiness,”
—Sam Rockwell
His playful and chaotic hallway roll, in pursuit of Rick, was partly the result of recent fight training for the movie Argylle. He credits the animal-print briefs to inspiration from iconic film moments.
“That was a bad roll. That was a terrible role. I would hope I could do a better role than that, but he’s sort of still drunk,”
—Sam Rockwell
“an homage to Ray Liotta in Something Wild, or maybe Richard Gere in American Gigolo, an homage to those kind of dangerous archetypes, Tom Berenger in Looking for Mr. Goodbar,”
—Sam Rockwell
Rockwell also reveals there was even more physical action shot for Frank that ultimately didn’t make the final cut.
“We had a bar fight that we shot that was cut,”
—Sam Rockwell
“It was a bar fight where I defend this transgender waitress from these Russian guys,”
—Sam Rockwell
The Power of Real-Life Friendships in Performance
Over a two-and-a-half week shooting period, Rockwell filmed his scenes—including those as “Steve the director”—before ultimately tackling the monologue head-on opposite Walton Goggins. Their personal bond, cultivated over 15 years since Cowboys & Aliens, added gravity and comfort to the on-screen friendship between Frank and Rick.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever had that experience, acting with a close friend playing close friends,”
—Sam Rockwell
“I had an instinct that we would have this kind of Butch-Sundance thing going. You know this Cagney-and-Lacey kind of thing. I think Walt did, too, and Leslie did. I knew we’d have a shorthand, and we could make each other laugh. … Walt and I come from a similar background. We’re both latchkey kids, [raised by] single parents, and we both performed with our mothers when we were very young. He did clogging contests with his mother, which is kind of Southern tap-dancing, and I did a play with my mom when I was 10. I’m a city kid, he’s a country kid, but we definitely identify. We’ve worked in restaurants, and we’ve been broke, me and Walt. So we have a lot in common,”
—Sam Rockwell
Comparing Interpretations: Harrelson’s Influence and Lasting Impact
Reflecting on Harrelson’s original casting, Rockwell admits the influence remained with him and helped shape his interpretation of Frank. Even so, the unique turn that Rockwell delivered became, for many, inseparable from the character’s identity. However, he acknowledges admiration for what Harrelson might have created.
“I think he would have been amazing. I’d love to have seen Woody’s version of Frank,”
—Sam Rockwell
“I couldn’t stop thinking about him, actually, while I was doing it. It definitely influenced my interpretation,”
—Sam Rockwell
Although he has not yet heard Harrelson’s direct feedback on his performance, Rockwell knows it’s only a matter of time before the two discuss it, humor and affection intact.
“I haven’t seen him in a while. I’m sure he’ll have something to say. He’ll make some joke,”
—Sam Rockwell
“He’s one of my favorite people. He’s one of the funniest people I know. He’s mischievous. I love Woody. So we’ll talk about it at some point, and he’ll say something really witty, I’m sure,”
—Sam Rockwell
Looking Ahead: The Lasting Significance of Rockwell’s Performance
Sam Rockwell’s White Lotus monologue and character transformation have left a lasting mark on the acclaimed series, demonstrating how casting shifts, collaboration with creators like Mike White, and deeply personal preparation can elevate a role. Drawing from past work, real friendships, and a willingness to experiment, Rockwell developed Frank into a layered and unforgettable presence. With the possibility of an Emmy win in sight and the potential for White Lotus Season 3 to become a classic, the choices made by Rockwell—and those that formed his cast and crew—will continue to be discussed and studied by both fans and actors for years to come.
