Woody Harrelson admits real reason he ditched The White Lotus role and 'it's not about money'

Hollywood heavyweight Woody Harrelson has set the record straight on why he didn't appear in The White Lotus season three.

Mike White, the brains behind the beloved drama, had another actor in mind before Walton Goggins snagged the role of Rick Hatchett.

Despite Goggins' Emmy-worthy performance, which has been further elevated by Sam Rockwell and Aimee Lou Wood's guest appearances, he wasn't White's first choice.

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Harrelson, famed for his roles in The Hunger Games and True Detective, was initially eyed for Rick's character but ultimately made the 'extremely hard' decision to ditch the series.

The 63-year-old actor has now revealed why he was not featured in the Emmy-winning drama.

In a statement released to The Daily Beast, Harrelson shut down reports that he denied the offer because of salary disagreements.

"It’s not about money," the actor's representatives said. Just last week, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Harrelson was not satisfied with his proposed salary, going as far as meeting with Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav to negotiate, but to no success.

Setting the record straight, the Zombieland star has said he stepped away from the role because of a pre-planned family vacation.

"I was set to do White Lotus and very excited," he admitted in the statement.

"Unfortunately, their production schedule shifted, and conflicted with a pre-planned family vacation, forcing me to make an extremely hard decision," Harrelson explained.

With Harrelson bowing out, Goggins naturally stepped into the spotlight. However, White has confessed that Goggins was originally pegged to play "one of these bald guys we pepper the thing with."

"Walton's not exactly that," he revealed, reports . "He's a bit more handsome, he has hair."

But is there still a chance for Harrelson to take on a new character in the fourth season of The White Lotus?

The Triangle of Sadness actor might be too tied up with other commitments to jet off to another glamorous location for another stint on the HBO series.

He's just finished filming Now You See Me: Now You Don't, and is anticipated to reprise his role in the fourth instalment of the popular magician franchise.