One of the only characters fans know for sure to be a bad guy in The White Lotus is Greg Hunt (who now goes by Gary in season 3), played by Jon Gries. If Jon looks familiar there’s a reason, and viewers are wondering if the actor also played Uncle Rico in 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite.
Is Napoleon Dynamite’s Uncle Rico in ‘The White Lotus’?
Before Jon was nailing the role of the creepy, but super rich, murderer in The White Lotus, he was uttering some of the most iconic lines from the early 2000s as Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite.
What Has Jon Gries Said About His Role as Uncle Rico in ‘Napoleon Dynamite’?
Jon has spoken about his experience playing the character and once said Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess described Uncle Rico as “David Hasselhoff meets Burt Reynolds meets Elvis.” However, before taking the role, Jon had actually decided to quit acting and wanted to transition into writing and directing instead. He had just gotten back into the swing of things with a role in The Big Empty after being cast by casting director Jory Weitz. When the film was almost finished, Jory was already working on Napoleon Dynamite and asked Jon if he’d be interested in the role of Uncle Rico.
“They were almost done cutting the movie, and Jory Weitz was now working with Jared Hess on Napoleon Dynamite,” Jon said during an interview with the “Methods of Fiction” podcast on May 20, 2021. “They’d put out a few offers to people to play Uncle Rico, and nobody, I think, even read it because it was such a really, really independent movie. Then I guess Jory said, ‘Hey, there’s a guy in this movie The Big Empty. We have his scenes right here in this office.’”
Jon continued, “They looked at my footage and Jared Hess said, ‘Yeah, let’s make an offer.’ Then I got the call again. I read it and by page 16 or 15, I was laughing out loud, and I called him back and said, ‘You tell him I’ll show up and I’ll drive myself there.’ And that was it.”
Jon Gries Didn’t Realize Greg Was a ‘Psychopath’ Until ‘White Lotus’ Season 3
Jon’s role as Uncle Rico is a far cry from his part as Greg/Gary in The White Lotus, but the actor said he didn’t realize exactly how unhinged his character was until he was heading into film season 3.
“I somehow equivocated that Greg was remotely involved, but not as deeply involved. But definitely upon looking at season 2 over again, I’m like, ‘Where did I ever come up with that idea?’” Jon told The Wrap in an article published on March 9, 2025. “[Creator Mike White] was walking briskly to get to set … and I saw him, and I ran up to him, and I said, ‘Hey, Greg — psychopath or not?’ And he goes, ‘psychopath’ and walked away. And I went right back into my room and spent the next four hours just writing the story and changing things, and it really gave me something to work with.”
What Else Has Jon Gries Been In?
While Napoleon Dynamite might be his most quotable role, Jon has a hefty resume with parts in some major television shows and movies. He was in the first two seasons of Martin, and he played Roger Linus in Lost. Jon also had roles in Seinfeld, Men In Black, Supernatural and more.
