One of the most memorable characters in The White Lotus history could have looked a lot different had the role went to the country superstar who auditioned for the role. No, a country icon didn't go out for Jennifer Coolidge's role as Tanya (though Dolly Parton or Reba would have been great, too). Kelsea Ballerini just revealed that she auditioned for Portia in season 2.
The role of Tanya's eccentrically dressed assistant ultimately went to Haley Lu Richardson, and we couldn't imagine anyone else inhabiting the role as perfectly as Richardson. But picturing the Grammy Award-nominated singer, who's dating Outer Banks star Chase Stokes, in the role is still interesting! She shared the admission of her audition with People, saying:
"I have no shame in my game! I auditioned for the second season of The White Lotus for the role [of] Jennifer Coolidge's assistant that Haley did. But yeah, I did audition for that. Fun fact."
The country singer auded Richardson's performance as Portia in The White Lotus season 2, referring to her work as "so brilliantly and beautifully" done. Ballerini also told the magazine that she has auditioned for a number of roles that she hasn't gotten but didn't offer any of the other titles she went out for. But she did recently score her first onscreen acting job on the small screen.
While she's also appearing as a coach on The Voice season 27, Ballerini made her acting debut in the ABC medical drama series Doctor Odyssey in November 2024. She played a bride-to-be named Lisa who comes down with a mystery condition. Ballerini was accompanied by Emmy Award winner Margo Martindale, who guest starred in the episode as her character's mother.
The news of Ballerini's audition for The White Lotus likely comes as a surprise to some fans that she's branching out into an acting career. Since the massively popular HBO series will be back for season 4, perhaps she'll give the show another shot with an audition for a different role this time around. Maybe she'll make a cameo in the fifth and final season of Stokes' Netflix series!
As a fan of Ballerini and her music, I would totally love to see her extend her talent into acting roles. The White Lotus has to be one of the most coveted shows for actors to appear on. Everyone wants to be on it, and fans are constantly making their wish list casts for the next seasons. Hopefully, the series will be around for many more seasons to come with lots of star-studded casts.
Stream The White Lotus only on Max.