Have “The White Lotus” fans rushed to unfair judgment against Greg (Jon Gries), the husband of dead heiress Tonya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge)? Absolutely not.
Greg, now calling himself Gary, shocked viewers when he resurfaced in Thailand as the only character to appear in all three seasons of HBO’s hit (Sundays, 9 ET/PT). Gries, 67, admits his shady character, one of the most despised on TV, is slippery and a “trickster,” at best.
Yet Gries dodges questions about Greg’s role in Tanya’s suspicious Season 2 death. Greg had left Italy’s White Lotus resort, allegedly for a business trip, when his multimillionaire wife perished in a suspicious yacht mishap.
If Greg was in Denver, how could he be the offender?
“If you wanted to prosecute the case in a court of law, how would you do it?” Gries asks. “It would be pretty hard to prove that I was involved in her demise. And I will neither confirm nor deny.”
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Jon Gries lied to family, friends about playing shady Greg in Thailand
To be clear: Gries is nothing like scowling Greg, and is friends with Coolidge in real life. Patrick Schwarzenegger echoed other Season 3 cast members by calling Gries “a loving guy to film with and, more importantly, to hang out with.” Gries, who starred as Uncle Rico in 2004 film “Napoleon Dynamite,” even lets his parrot Pablo (named after the character in the quirky cult classic) perch on his shoulder during a Zoom interview.
Gries was floored when “White Lotus” creator/writer/director Mike White revealed Greg would be the scandalous luxury resort visitor no one saw coming. “It was an enormous honor,” Gries says. “It was incredible, even bizarre, to me that I was the one coming back.”
On the downside, Gries had to deceive family members and friends to keep the state secret. The actor told everyone that he was off to the Philippines for a four-month stint playing a U.S. Navy crew member in a remake of the 1966 Steve McQueen drama “The Sand Pebbles.”
“It was just bad lying while really sticking to my guns,” says Gries, who says he was recognized in Thailand. “This local businessman said, ‘Dude, I hear they’re shooting “White Lotus.” Are you working?’ I insisted that I was just visiting. I was lying through my teeth.”
The deceit paid off when Greg appeared in the Feb. 16 season premiere. “It was so hard, but so worth it,” Gries says. He was surprised by the burnt-orange shirt and table napkin for the reveal. “Bold color choice. I was like, ‘Holy cow, it looks like I’m in jail,'” he says. “Or it could have something to do with the (Buddhist) monks.”
What’s the case against Greg as ‘White Lotus’ killer?
Government employee Greg met lonely heiress Tanya in Hawaii, which Gries says was not an accident. “This was probably something that (Greg) was planning all along,” he says. In Italy, Gries is deeply annoyed that Tanya has insisted on a prenuptial agreement for their new marriage. Tanya discovers that Quentin (Tom Hollander), one of her new friends on a yacht, knew her husband long ago. And she realizes in horror that the prenup only covers divorce, not death. In one of the most memorable finale scenes, Tanya kills everyone on the yacht and then falls to her death trying to get on a dinghy.
Greg, as Gary, is loaded in Thailand with his own yacht and a huge house near the resort. His girlfriend, former model Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), shares Gary’s version of his previous wife’s death – the mentally unwell woman died after wandering into the sea. But Greg’s evasion of authorities hits a snag when Hawaii spa manager Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), who was close to Tanya, spots him in Thailand. Belinda is suspicious and could bring righteous retribution … or become his next victim.
Greg is staying alive in Thailand as Gary
Give the suspect his due. The dude is in great shape, swimming laps at his luxury pool. He’s desperate to stay alive now that he has all the money.
“That’s pretty much the essence of this character, to me. This guy doesn’t waste his time. He wants to make the best of every moment,” Gries says. “It’s just about keeping one step ahead of time.”
It’s a valid theory that his character will be near the center of the violence in Season 3. The premiere gave a startling glimpse of the near future – a resort shooting and at least one body floating in tranquil waters. But as before, every visitor and employee at the posh wellness resort is either a possible murderer, victim, or both.
“There are many people who could be the killer. So I can say that Gary would be heaped into that group. But it goes across the board,” Gries says.
The April 6 finale could be redeeming, damning, or the end for this mysterious character. “All I’ll say is that it will get dark and downright twisted from here,” Gries says.
