The White Lotus finale was nearly overshadowed by rumors surrounding co-stars Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood. Were the on-screen lovers really having an affair? Or did they have a falling out? To set the record straight, the co-stars reunited for an emotional tell-all interview with Variety where they put the rumors to rest once and for all.
“There is no feud. I adore, I love this woman madly, and she is so important to me,” Goggins said about his co-star. The Fallout actor started becoming “choked up” as he looked at Wood and added, “This is Goldie Hawn. This is Meg Ryan. She can do anything, and she will… But she’s special. There is no feud. She is love and I know that I am that to her. We care about each other very deeply.”
The interview notes that the co-stars became “visibly emotional” and embraced for “30 seconds” when they reunited on set of the photo shoot. But Goggins and Wood made sure to dispel as many of the rumors that came up about them since the hit HBO series wrapped – including why Goggins reportedly unfollowed her on Instagram.
“That is irrelevant. We don’t give a shite about Instagram,” Wood said. “Why not have conversations about the story and Rick and Chelsea and enjoy it?”
The rumors were partially fueled by their White Lotus co-star Jason Isaacs who has hinted that there was just as much drama behind the scenes as there was on-screen. “They say in the show, ‘What happens in Thailand stays in Thailand,’ but there’s an off-screen White Lotus as well, with fewer deaths but just as much drama,” he told Vulture.
Though Wood admitted that living on set sometimes felt like being on a “reality show,” the pair denied that there were ever “any negative vibes.”
Goggins spoke extensively about how much Wood helped him behind the scenes when they were living in Bangkok. The actor admitted that he preferred to keep to himself while playing Rick, a reclusive and tormented man who came to Thailand on a murder mission. “I was alone purposely in this experience — not selfishly, not narcissistically,” he told the outlet. “Everyone has their process. Mine is being alone. But Aimee as Chelsea wouldn’t let me do that.”
Later in the interview, Goggins explained that he hadn’t spoken to Wood or the rest of the cast after wrapping as part of his “process saying goodbye to Rick and Chelsea,” to which Wood told him, “I completely understand.”
The emotional interview ended with tears once again as the co-stars said goodbye to each other.
“I’m emotional because we haven’t been in the same city to ever talk about this,” Goggins said after hugging Wood goodbye. “So for me, this is just so wonderful.”
The White Lotus is streaming now on HBO Max.