TV Romance
‘White Lotus’: Walton Goggins & Aimee Lou Wood Reveal Details of Deleted Rick and Chelsea Love Scene
Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood want a director’s cut of The White Lotus Season 3 finale.
The HBO dramedy is known for its brutal endings — usually with a high death toll — but Season 3 might’ve been the most heartbreaking yet. That’s largely due to the untimely demise of lovers Rick (Goggins) and Chelsea (Wood). Before their shocking deaths, there was supposed to be a Rick and Chelsea love scene, the stars told Variety. The scene was ultimately cut.
In the finale, we see the characters have a passionate reunion on the beach, with Chelsea cinematically jumping into Rick’s arms at sunset. We don’t see much else of them before their deaths, aside from a dinner later on in the episode. Chelsea says they’re going to be together forever, and Rick lovingly confirms “that’s the plan.”
According to Goggins and Wood, however, we could’ve gotten even more insight into Rick and Chelsea’s connection. The cut scene would’ve taken place after their moment on the beach; the couple goes to their bedroom to discuss their relationship plans even further, and they eventually have sex.
The latter also would’ve created a sort of full-circle moment in the series. The first time we see the couple getting intimate in The White Lotus, Chelsea is on top of Rick. The cut scene flips their positions so that Rick is picking Chelsea up. “We designed the whole journey,” Wood said. “It was so, so delicate.”
Goggins added that “the last [sex scene] was two people who were free. It was this very long, suspended moment of these two people looking at each other. It was so powerful.”
On a lighter note, Goggins jokingly called out creator Mike White in the interview: “F**k you, Mike! We want a director’s cut!”
The pair also addressed their rumored feud, which took the internet by storm after fans noticed that Goggins unfollowed Wood on Instagram. It turns out that it was just part of Goggins’ process of saying goodbye.
“I knew what we had gone through, and I knew how close that we had gotten,” Goggins said. “It’s just a part of me just saying goodbye to this character so that now Aimee and I will be friends for f**king ever.”
Goggins became emotional when discussing his connection Wood. “There is no feud. I adore, I love this woman madly, and she is so important to me,” he stressed.
