White Lotus Star Jason Isaacs Reveals ‘Very Low’ Salary

For many stars, The White Lotus is a golden ticket—but one cast member says the paycheck didn’t exactly match the hype. 

Jason Isaacs, who appears in the third season of the hit HBO series as wealthy businessman Timothy Ratliff, revealed just how much he and his castmates were paid per episode.

‘That’s absolutely true,’ he told Vulture, confirming that they earned $40,000 per episode. 

He added, ‘Generally actors don’t talk about pay in public because it’s ridiculously disproportionate to what we do — putting on makeup and funny voices — and just upsets the public

‘But compared to what people normally get paid for big television shows, that’s a very low price.’

Still, Isaacs admitted he was just as excited as fellow cast members—like Patrick Schwarzenegger and Parker Posey—to join the buzz-worthy series. 

‘But the fact is, we would have paid to be in it. We probably would have given a body part.’

Isaacs was asked whether, given his long resume, he had any complicated feelings about earning the same as less-experienced actors like Schwarzenegger. 

He replied, ‘Do I mind that I wasn’t paid more than other people? I never work for money. I mean, I’ve done all right. 

‘People will think I have huge stockpiles of money but sadly, what I’ve done rather immaturely is expand my outgoings to match my incomings and pretty much spent everything I’ve earned over the years.’

The Vulture interview comes after Isaacs revealed that fame makes him ‘feel empty’.

Speaking on The Table Manners podcast with Jessie and Lennie Ware he explained: ‘It’s a bit naff being famous. It feels empty. 

‘And I get embarrassed by the social status you get when you meet people who are genuinely impressive and do extraordinary things. 

‘But if you can use it sometimes to lighten people’s load or do something good, it just feels like it’s swinging the pendulum. 

He then spoke openly about some of the comment he had made about the White Lotus filming which set of various rumours online.

Jason said: ‘I got in a lot of trouble, because people go, What was it like? And a lot of the other actors, they’re very good kind of brand managers. 

‘They go it was wonderful, Thailand was fabulous etc.. ‘It was a bit like Lord of the Flies’, I said.’

Jessie then said: ‘You were quoted as saying it was like Theatre Camp and Lord of the Flies?’

Jason added: ‘Yeah, because it is a lot of people away from home for a long period of time, away from their families. And it was everything. It was all the things you would expect in a group of people. 

‘Anyway, all these online Sherlock Holmes have read a whole bunch of b****cks into it and started extrapolating from what they thought they could see people’s photographs about where the fault lines were in our friendships, or complete bollocks, they’ve no idea!’

Aimee recently playfully took aim at her co-star Jason’s ‘overshare’ about the intense relationships that were formed on the White Lotus set.

Jason summed up the shoot as ‘a cross between summer camp and Lord of the Flies but in a gilded cage’.

Fans had already been speculating about off-screen relationships, specifically Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins.

They played on-screen lovers, but were thought to have fallen out after they unfollowed each other on social media.

Jason’s comments only added fuel to the rumour mill fire, as many surmised that he was referring to the relationship between Aimee Lou and Walton.

However Aimee Lou herself made light of Jason’s remarks as she reshared a meme to her Instagram Story on Tuesday.

Reposting a meme of someone who spills all of their secrets without even being asked where the person had written ‘interviewer: so did you enjoy Thailand? Jason Isaacs:….’

Aimee Lou shared the X post on her story and tagged Jason in the post alongside a laughing face. 

The person who had shared Aimee Lou’s repost, mused: ‘Looks like she’s poking fun at the fact Jason Isaac’s implied some people fell out and that some shady stuff went down on set: ‘There were alliances that formed and broke, romances that formed and broke, friendships that formed and broke…’ 

Aimee Lou, who plays the tragic fan favourite Chelsea, meanwhile has described how the cast ‘wrap and walk five steps to your room. You’re living where you’re filming. It is the Truman Show’.

Fans of the show began to speculate that Aimee and Walton had fallen out after they unfollowed each other.

However matters seem to have now resolved themselves as they are back following each other again and Aimee recently showed him support on his SNL stint.