When The White Lotus was such a massive Emmy-winning hit in 2021, the mini-series became an anthology series, with a second season set in a different location, with an almost entirely new cast. The second season is fairly star-studded, as the first was – with the likes of Aubrey Plaza, Theo James, F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hollander, Haley Lu Richardson, and The Sopranos’ Michael Imperioli. But an even bigger star has a cameo in the second season – you just probably haven’t realised.
Michael Imperioli plays the sex-addicted Hollywood producer Dominic Di Grasso, who is on an odyssey to Sicily to explore his ancestral roots with his father Bert (F. Murray Abraham) and his son Albie (Adam DiMarco).
Dominic’s marriage is failing, but this doesn’t stop him from immediately setting up sex workers Lucia (Simona Tabasco) and Mia (Beatrice Granno) in the hotel, on his account, which his father calls ‘sloppy.’ He claims that he wants to overcome his sex addiction, and that he feels guilt and shame about his encounters with Lucia and Mia.
You may have noticed that Dominic has had several phone calls with his estranged wife Abby. Well, this is where the exciting cameo comes in. Because Abby is played by none other than Hollywood legend Laura Dern.
Laura Dern had her breakthrough roles in 1985-1986 in Mask, Smooth Talk, and Blue Velvet when she was only 18 years old. She is the daughter of Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, who are both actors. Dern has regularly collaborated with David Lynch. One of her biggest roles was as Ellie Sattler in Steven Spielberg‘s Jurassic Park (1993). She played Vice Admiral Holdo in the Star Wars sequels. Dern won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 2019’s Marriage Story.
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