Sundance: Stars of ‘The White Lotus’ Are Everywhere From Main Street to Festival Big Screens

While fans used to play six degrees of Kevin Bacon at the Sundance Film Festival (or anywhere for that matter), in 2024, it’s all about connecting the dots of alumni from Mike White’s The White Lotus. The stars of the Emmy Award-winning vacation anthology series have returned to the mainland and clocked back in on a flurry of independent films. Below is a roundup of all the White Lotus stars making the Park City rounds this year and why they’re here.

Aubrey Plaza

The actress and producer returns to the festival on the heels of a critically acclaimed turn in Emily the Criminal to star in Megan Park’s comedy My Old Ass opposite Maisy Stella, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks and Percy Hynes White. The plot follows bright-yet-irreverent Elliott (Stella) as she comes face-to-face with her older self (Plaza) during a mushroom trip. The encounter spurs a funny and heartfelt journey of self-discovery and first love as Elliott prepares to leave her childhood home the summer before college. My Old Ass also has some Barbie pedigree — it was produced by Margot Robbie and her LuckyChap team including Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara, along with Steven Rales.

Meghann Fahy

The multi-hyphenate talent, who starred as Daphne Sullivan on The White Lotus season two (and won over the internet and critics alike), hit the ground in Utah to promote a role in Caroline Lindy’s Your Monster, a “genre-defying monster mash that’s equal parts twisted and romantic with a dash of musical whimsy,” per the fest website. The plot follows a soft-spoken actress named Laura Franco, played by Scream star Melissa Barrera, who finds her voice again when she meets a “terrifying, yet weirdly charming monster living in her closet.” The cast also includes Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan and Kayla Foster. Read THR’s Your Monster review here.

Will Sharpe

The British actor, who played the husband of Aubrey Plaza’s character during The White Lotus season two, picked up a part in actor-director Jesse Eisenberg’s newest film, A Real Pain, opposite Eisenberg himself and newly-minted Emmy winner Kieran Culkin. The story follows cousins David and Benji (Eisenberg and Culkin) who reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when tensions resurface as they uncoil dramatic family tension. Also of note: A Real Pain was produced by Emma Stone and her husband Dave McCary. Sharpe next stars in Audrey Diwan’s erotic Emmanuelle. Read THR’s Eisenberg interview here.

Fred Hechinger

The 24-year-old actor charmed audiences with a soft-spoken yet nuanced turn during the debut season of The White Lotus by playing Quinn Mossbacher. He’s in Park City this year with another affecting (and at times comedic) role opposite June Squibb in Thelma. The beloved 94-year-old actress plays his character’s grandmother and Parker Posey and Clark Gregg star as his parents. Written and directed by Josh Margolin (and executive produced by Hechinger), Thelma finds Squibb playing a woman duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson. Not to become a victim, she sets out on a thrilling, scooter-set journey to get her money back. Hechinger’s star continues to rise with upcoming blockbuster roles in the anticipated pics Gladiator 2 and Kraven the Hunter. Read THR’s Thelma review here.

Brittany O’Grady

“A pre-wedding party descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious suitcase,” is how Sundance describes It’s What’s Inside, a “playful, sexy and science-fiction-infused” film from writer-director Greg Jardin. O’Grady, who delivered plenty of memorable scenes as Paula opposite Sydney Sweeney during the first season of The White Lotus, stars opposite Alycia Debnam-Carey, Gavin Leatherwood, Nina Bloomgarden, Reina Hardesty, Devon Terrell, David Thompson and James Morosini. O’Grady next stars in the TV series Epic. See O’Grady and her It’s What’s Inside cast here in THR’s Studio at the Pendry in Park City.

Connie Britton

The veteran actress stars in Susanna Fogel’s Winner, a film that brings the filmmaker back to Sundance one year after making a splash with Cat Person. Fogel re-teams with that film’s star, Emilia Jones (another festival veteran from CODA and Fairyland), in the story of Reality Winner, the NSA contractor turned whistleblower. The premieres section entry finds Britton starring alongside Jones, Zach Galifianakis, Kathryn Newton and Danny Ramirez. Britton next stars in Zero Day and Here After.