This text comprises spoilers for season 3, episode 2 of “The White Lotus” — “Particular Therapies” — so flip again now when you’re not caught up on the primary two installments.
It is clear from the very starting of the third season of “The White Lotus” (read our review here) that Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs), a businessman from North Carolina, is having some skilled troubles. When he is requested to lock up his cellular phone at some point of his time in Thailand by the resort’s pleasant workers, he completely refuses — although, fortunately, the remainder of his household additionally forces the problem. Alongside his spouse Victoria (Parker Posey) and kids Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), and Lochlan (Sam Nivola), Timothy is attempting to take pleasure in his trip in a tropical paradise, however within the season’s second episode “Particular Therapies,” Timothy lastly makes contact together with his enterprise affiliate Kenny, and it certain looks like he is fairly cooked (as his Gen Z youngsters would possibly say).
When Timothy talks to Kenny after attempting to get ahold of him within the season premiere “Identical Spirits, New Kinds,” you would possibly acknowledge the voice on the opposite finish of the decision … and it is as a result of that voice belongs to Academy Award-winning actor and Marvel Cinematic Universe newcomer Ke Huy Quan. Whether or not or not we’ll see Quan in particular person on “The White Lotus” stays to be seen, however it’s undoubtedly him on the opposite finish of the cellphone, and he does not have excellent news for Timothy.
What is going on on with Timothy Ratliff in The White Lotus?
So what occurs throughout Timothy’s cellphone name with Kenny? First, Timothy asks why the Wall Avenue Journal has been attempting to get in contact with him, however sadly for him, Kenny is irate. He does not care about some silly information story; apparently, there are federal brokers at their monetary firm in Durham, North Carolina raiding Kenny’s workplace for proof of some sort. Kenny is clearly determined and fully freaked out, and Timothy barely tries to calm him down, saying little or no in any respect till turning it again on Kenny by mumbling, “You instructed me this could not occur. Keep in mind that?! You f***ing swore that this couldn’t occur!”
Kenny, considerably fairly, spends a variety of the decision crying over his in all probability legit concern that he’ll go to jail over no matter stunt he and Timothy have pulled collectively. After Timothy asks, Kenny confirms that the brokers have “all the things,” together with account particulars and emails, and tells Timothy he lawyered as much as try to defend himself. This makes Timothy visibly offended on the opposite finish of the cellphone whereas Kenny continues speaking, saying, “I ought to have by no means gone to Brunei. I ought to have by no means taken that place. Everybody was making a killing.” Timothy then asks if he is additionally implicated, and Kenny says that he’s; that is why Kenny purchased a burner cellphone to contact his affiliate within the first place. “It is advisable to get a great lawyer like yesterday,” Kenny urges Timothy earlier than the latter makes a big reveal: the 2 have been concerned with cash laundering and bribery and it was Kenny’s concept, and it “solely” made Timothy $10 million. Timothy additionally threatens to kill Kenny over this, which, since that is “The White Lotus,” feels fairly ominous.
This is not the primary high-profile cellphone name cameo on The White Lotus
This is not the primary time that the author, director, and creator of “The White Lotus,” Mike White, has enlisted a really well-known particular person — or an Oscar winner! — to do one thing as fast and soiled as a voice cameo throughout an in-universe cellphone name. In season 2, which was set in Sicily, we spend time with the Di Grasso males: the aged, lecherous Bert (F. Murray Abraham), the Hollywood producer with a troubled marriage Dominic (Michael Imperioli), and the naive latest school graduate Albie (Adam DiMarco). In the course of the very first episode of the season, Dominic reaches out to his estranged spouse Abby just for her to ship a livid, profanity-laden rant, and Imperioli himself confirmed that Laura Dern — who labored with White on “Enlightened” and gained an Oscar in 2020 for “Marriage Story” — lent her voice to the position of Abby.
“The completely magnificent Laura Dern performs my spouse within the new season of ‘The White Lotus.’ Though (to date) she has solely been heard on the cellphone and never seen, her efficiency is a standout amongst many nice ones within the ‘White Lotus’ troupe,” Imperioli wrote in a caption for an Instagram post in November 2022, whereas season 2 was nonetheless airing. “LaDern can do extra with voice alone than most can do with all the things else. She’s genius.” Dern by no means did present up in particular person in “The White Lotus,” so once more, we do not find out about Ke Huy Quan, however his look may be restricted to a voice position as properly as a result of that man is busy.
Ke Huy Quan had an enormous profession renaissance in 2022 — and he is been performing steadily ever since
For a man who struggled to e book roles for a number of a long time, Ke Huy Quan is extra booked and busy than ever, so whether or not or not he was even in a position to present up on set in Thailand to shoot any extra scenes for “The White Lotus” stays to be seen. After getting his begin as a toddler actor in “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (taking part in the sidekick Brief Spherical within the latter), Quan give up performing as an grownup, went again to highschool, and spent some time working in stunt and fight choreography. In 2018, Quan felt impressed by the overwhelming success of Jon M. Chu’s blockbuster romantic comedy “Loopy Wealthy Asians,” which options a wholly Asian forged … only a few years after returning to performing, Quan starred alongside “Loopy Wealthy Asians” standout Michelle Yeoh in “The whole lot All over the place All At As soon as,” a multiversal motion film created by the directing duo generally known as “The Daniels” (Kwan and Scheinert, respectively).
Quan and Yeoh each went on to win Oscars for his or her supporting and lead roles and “The whole lot All over the place All At As soon as” even gained Finest Image, giving Quan probably the greatest comeback tales in Hollywood’s storied historical past. Since then, Quan has appeared within the MCU and Disney+ sequence “Loki” and “American Born Chinese language” (accessible on the identical platform), in addition to the motion comedy “Love Hurts” in 2025. As for “The White Lotus,” it airs new episodes each Sunday evening at 9 P.M. EST on HBO and Max … and even when it is solely a voice cameo, it is fairly cool that Ke Huy Quan discovered a method to get entangled with the award-winning sequence.
