Alexander Ludwig Says the Next ‘The White Lotus’ Is Wilder Than Ever, and He’s Game To Top That Ratliff Brothers Twist

Every season of ‘The White Lotus‘ seems to leave viewers with at least one moment they can’t stop talking about, and Mike White’s HBO anthology has never been shy about pushing buttons. Now Alexander Ludwig, one of the fresh faces checking into the resort, is already hyping what’s coming next. After mayhem in Hawaii, Sicily, and Thailand, the series is heading to Cannes for its fourth season.

This time, the story is built around a real-life event, the Cannes Film Festival itself. The upcoming season follows 2 rival film teams arriving at the festival with movies in competition, one staying at a lavish hotel on the Croisette and the other tucked away at a luxurious hilltop retreat. Ludwig and AJ Michalka were the first cast members announced, with HBO confirming their casting last December.

Speaking from France, where he’s in the middle of production, Ludwig didn’t hold back on his excitement. “It’s f—ing wild,” he told Variety, calling the upcoming chapter the show’s most “extravagant” yet. He also noted that the only thing cooler than premiering a film at Cannes is shooting ‘The White Lotus’ at the festival.

Then came the question on everyone’s mind, as the conversation turned to last season’s infamous incestuous scene between Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sam Nivola. “My first question to Mike was, ‘Who am I doing that to?'” Ludwig said with a laugh, adding that he was obviously joking before telling White to just let him know and he would do it happily.

The moment Ludwig referenced remains one of the most talked-about twists in the show’s history. In Season 3, brothers Saxon and Lochlan Ratliff shared an encounter during a wild night out, leaving Schwarzenegger’s Saxon horrified and confused the next morning. The episode unexpectedly became the series’ highest-rated installment at the time, according to Vulture.

Even the actors were caught off guard. Schwarzenegger admitted that his jaw dropped when he first read the script, while co-star Charlotte Le Bon later revealed that his genuine reaction to the kiss between the brothers actually made it into the finished episode.

Given that history, it’s no surprise Ludwig’s cheeky comment is getting attention online. Some fans responded with jokes, while others pushed back, with one reply insisting that incest shouldn’t be normalized.

The official trailer for Season 3 of ‘The White Lotus’ has been released. pic.twitter.com/KEmrfq848F

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 27, 2025

Despite his enthusiasm, Ludwig is staying tight-lipped about plot specifics. He revealed to Variety that even George Clooney tried to get details out of him, only to be told he’d have to wait like everyone else.

He’ll be joined by a stacked ensemble that includes Chloe Bennet, Sandra Bernhard, Ben Kingsley, Vincent Cassel, Steve Coogan, Laura Dern, Frida Gustavsson, and Charlie Hall. HBO’s Casey Bloys has indicated the new season could start streaming as early as the first half of 2027.

The casting marks a major moment for the 34-year-old actor, who broke out as Cato in ‘The Hunger Games’ and later played Björn Ironside on ‘Vikings’. He recently told The Hollywood Reporter that he’s only now feeling a real shift in his career, teasing that his mysterious role in the new season will be insane and unbelievable.

He’s also juggling Netflix’s ‘Unabomber’, in which he plays a less-than-supportive fellow agent, and he’s preparing his directorial debut, ‘Billings’. With Cannes as the backdrop and Ludwig openly volunteering for White’s wildest ideas, the next stay at the resort sounds like it could be the most outrageous one yet.

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