‘White Lotus’ villain Jon Gries reveals the true crimes that inspired his twisty take on Greg/Gary

When Season 3 of “The White Lotus” premiered last month, the shock was palpable when everyone’s favorite returning character Belinda discovered a familiar but unwelcome vacation companion at the resort in Thailand: none other than Greg Hunt, the wily suitor of one Tanya McQuoid, who orchestrated her demise and now goes by ‘Gary.’

When Season 3 of “The White Lotus” premiered last month, the shock was palpable when returning character Belinda recognized a familiar face at the resort in Thailand: Greg Hunt, the wily suitor of the late Tanya McQuoid. As the season has unfolded, Greg (played by Jon Gries) has emerged as an antagonist, particularly after Belinda dove into the investigation surrounding Tanya’s death and realized Greg, who now goes by Gary, evaded questioning by authorities. On a show famous for reinventing itself, the same has been asked of actor Jon Gries, who says that playing the ever-shifting character has been a welcome challenge and, like “White Lotus” itself, full of twists. “In the beginning, I totally played him for a guy who was, you know, on his last legs,” the actor said in a recent interview with CNN, referencing Greg’s very apparent ill health in the first season of “White Lotus,” which premiered to rave reviews in summer 2021. He added: “When you play a character, you want to find his empathetic side, and you want to understand where they came from, and what got them to where they are.” But when Gries was contacted by creator Mike White about appearing in Season 2, he realized he would have to adjust his framing of Greg, despite having previously imagined a “comprehensive history” for him on his own. “(White) said, ‘I’m writing it right now, and I’m writing you, and I just need to know here and now: If you’re in, I’ll continue writing. If not, I’ll stop,’” Gries recalled.