Sam Rockwell set pulses racing with a surprisingly sexually frank cameo on season 3 of HBO’s hit show The White Lotus and a source exclusively tells Life & Style he’s open to filming something even more explicit with long-term partner Leslie Bibb, as their relationship has never been stronger following their collaboration.
“In their personal and social lives, among their friends, Sam and Leslie are known for having this incredible physical chemistry together, even though they’ve rarely had an opportunity to show it on screen,” says an insider, who has known the longtime couple for years.
“They’re not paired together onscreen this season on The White Lotus, but it was expected when Leslie signed up for the show last year that Sam would get involved somehow because filming these seasons involves weeks and weeks on a distant location and Sam and Leslie rarely spend time apart.”
Oscar-winner Sam, 56, delivered a monologue barely breaking five minutes that turned out to be one of the most memorable moments of the season. According to Leslie, 51, she had nothing to do with her husband getting the part, but was overjoyed when they got the chance to work on the same project.
“No,” the actress told Entertainment Weekly when asked if she played a hand in Sam’s role. “They came to me and they were like, ‘We’re going to offer this to Sam,’” she continued. “I was on the treadmill and [producer] Dave Bernad came to me. But I was like, ‘Sam is wild as a buck. Listen, I don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s doing a movie in South Africa, he likes time to prep.’ And he was very nervous about that prep time.”
While Leslie admitted she was worried for a bit Sam wouldn’t be able to make time for the role, ultimately showrunner Mike White put her at ease.
“I said, ‘You can’t get mad at me if he says no. What if he says no?’ I was so scared. Then Mike was like, ‘No, no, no, we won’t get mad at you,’” she recalled.
With Sam on board for his short appearance, the source notes they relished the opportunity while it lasted and are looking forward to seizing more. “They’ve wanted to do a surprise collaboration like this for a while, and the themes of the show totally dovetail with what they’re interested in as actors and as people,” the insider says, adding that the Guest Actor Emmy category isn’t a pipe dream for the Green Mile actor. “Sam did not disappoint in his cameo — he’s going to get serious Emmy consideration for his unforgettable speech, but you have to remember the whole reason he’s in this show in the first place is this rock solid partnership he has with Leslie, where neither of them ever needed kids or a marriage license to feel like they have each other’s backs.”
“They’ve been together for around twenty years now and you can really tell, the best is yet to come!”
