Walton Goggins‘ Rick Hatchett character on The White Lotus season 3 has been a huge enigma with a mysterious past. Life & Style takes a look at what has been revealed so far about Rick, including what really happened to his dad.
Who Is Rick on ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3?
Walton’s Rick arrived with the rest of the guests for a stay at the White Lotus Thailand in the show’s season 3 opening episode on February 16, 2025, along with his much-younger girlfriend, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood).
The purpose of their trip wasn’t initially revealed, although Rick appeared miserable from the start. He didn’t want to socialize and kept pulling away from Chelsea, despite her best efforts to get him to enjoy their time in paradise.
Chelsea immediately signed Rick up for a session with wellness therapist Amrita (Shalini Peiris), where he opened up about his lifelong trauma involving his parents. He revealed that his mother was a drug user who died when he was 10 years old, and she told him his father was murdered before he was born. As a result of not having a father’s love growing up, Rick ended up a broken man.
What Really Happened to Rick’s Father on ‘The White Lotus’?
In his scene with Amrita, Rick made it clear that his mom told him about his dad’s murder and who the killer might be from her deathbed. Thus, it appeared he had fully taken his late mother’s word about his father’s identity, and that of his murderer.
Rick believed that his father went to Thailand before his birth to help locals from being taken advantage of by Jim Hollinger, the eventual coowner of the White Lotus Thailand. He thinks Jim could be his father’s killer or had something to do with his death. However, some fans have speculated that Jim might actually turn out to be Rick’s dad.
Why Is Rick in Thailand?
Upon arriving at the White Lotus, Rick immediately started sniffing around to find out where he could find Jim. He was devastated to find out that only Jim’s wife, Sritala Hollinger (Lek Patravadi), was at the resort, as the coowner was away recuperating after suffering a stroke.
Rick made plans to fly to Bangkok after finding out that was where he could find Jim. The con man made up a story to Sritala that he was working on a film and the director wanted to meet with the former Thai actress for the project.
Before departing for Bangkok, Rick finally told Chelsea why he had to leave the resort and that the reason they went to Thailand was so he could track down the man responsible for his father’s death. “The guy ruined my f–king life from day one, he doesn’t have to answer to me? I just need to look in his face and I need to tell him what he did to me … while he’s still alive,” he told Chelsea while not revealing what he intended to do when confronting Jim.
Rick then enlisted the help of a shady expat friend in Bangkok named Frank, played by Sam Rockwell. Rick convinced Sritala that his director pal needed to see her at home to better write her character, and she agreed to their visit. While Frank provided Rick with a gun upon his arrival in Bangkok, he made him promise not to bring it to Sritala and Jim’s house as he’d left his life of crime behind.
At the end of episode 6, Frank and Rick arrived at Sritala and Jim’s home by boat, with armed guards present. Rick finally came face to face with Jim, who was seen out of focus walking down the stairs.
Who Plays Jim Hollinger on ‘The White Lotus’?
Veteran actor Scott Glenn was cast in The White Lotus season 3 in 2024, although his part was never revealed. Fans immediately picked up on his legendary deep voice in the final shot of episode 6 while he heard but not clearly seen. Rick looked at Jim while visibly shaken about finally coming face to face with who he believes killed his dad.
What Does Rick Do for a Living?
During his session with Amrita, Rick confessed to “doing a lot of bad things” although he didn’t go any deeper into his character’s seemingly shady profession. He added, “And I can’t get my life back. But maybe I can still get some satisfaction,” which seemed to hint that he was seeking revenge on the man who killed his father.
While Rick proved he’s an effective con man in how he was able to convince Sritala he was a Hollywood insider, he hinted at some shadier work during dinner with wealthy expat resident Gary (John Gries) and his much-younger girlfriend, Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon).
When Rick asked Gary what he did for a living, he cryptically answered “This and that.” Rick replied to Greg that he did the same thing for a living, noting, “this and that” is a good line of work.
While it wasn’t revealed how Rick was able to afford his stay at the high-end White Lotus resort with the other ultra-wealthy guests, Chelsea managed to get their entire stay comped after she was the victim of a gun-toting robber in the hotel’s boutique during episode 2.
