Laura Dern's Sneaky White Lotus Cameo Is An Iconic Easter Egg
She never misses.
The White Lotus is packed with A-list stars, but you probably missed a pretty epic cameo in Season 2’s first episode. Although she never *physically* appeared, Laura Dern actually had a scene-stealing part in the season premiere... even if viewers didn’t realize it was her. Once you realize Laura Dern’s cameo in The White Lotus Season 2 is an easter egg for longtime Mike White fans, you’ll definitely want to rewatch that pivotal scene.
Dern’s cameo came midway through the Season 2 premiere, as Michael Imperioli’s character Dom had a tense phone call with his estranged wife. It was Dern’s voice on the other end of that phone, doing what she does best: angrily cursing out her no-good, lying cheat of a husband. Vulture confirmed the uncredited voice cameo in its recap of the episode.
Dern’s quick appearance is a fun easter egg for anyone who’s followed The White Lotus creator Mike White’s career. White has worked with Dern multiple times; she starred in his directorial debut, 2007’s Year of the Dog, alongside White Lotus Season 1 guest star Molly Shannon. Most notably, Dern helmed White’s first beloved HBO series, Enlightened, a critical darling that was cut short in 2013 after two seasons.
While the phone call may have just been a one-time cameo, there’s still hope that it could also lead to more Dern in Season 2 of The White Lotus. After all, viewers still don’t know exactly what went down between Dom and his wife to cause so much anger and pain. Hopefully, fans will get to hear Dern’s voice again in more phone calls throughout the season, or maybe she’ll even show up in person to catch her cheating husband in the act. TBH, adding Laura Dern to anything automatically makes it better, so here’s hoping she managed to book a quick trip to Sicily.
Dern herself has yet to comment on her White Lotus cameo, so fans will have to tune in on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max to see if she pops up again when new episodes drop.
