The Best X-Men Actor Was Almost In The White Lotus
Evan Peters was nearly case in White Lotus season 2 on HBO.
There are a number of what-ifs in Hollywood, including Gwyneth Paltrow almost landing the lead in Titanic and Hugh Jackman doing the same in Casino Royale. According to an article from AV Club, X-Men actor Evan Peters is another actor on that list and almost starred in the HBO series White Lotus’ season 2. Reporters caught up with White Lotus director David Bernad at the Berlinale Series Market in Germany, where the director shared a surprising revelation about Evan Peters and the casting of season 2 of White Lotus.
“That part was the last part we cast in the season, and originally it was supposed to be Evan Peters, but for whatever reason—scheduling or timing—it didn’t work out,” Bernad said of the role of Ethan Spiller. Although Evan Peters was the initial choice for the role, White Lotus execs eventually went with Will Sharpe after things didn’t work out with Peters.
Evan Peters recently starred in the controversial Netflix series Dahmer–Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which chronicled the life of infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, but drew the ire of some who felt it was glorifying violence. Still, Peters’ performance was critically lauded, and he ended up winning a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role. It was speculated that Evan Peters’ role in the series is the reason why he turned down White Lotus, as the series’ schedules would have come into some conflict.
Although Evan Peters never debuted in White Lotus season 2, he’s had a number of roles after making his acting debut when he appeared in the 2004 drama Clipping Adam. His profile rose when he starred in Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series American Horror Story, in which he played multiple roles over a decade-long run from 2011 to 2021. He also had a supporting role in the HBO crime miniseries Mare of Easttown, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor.
Many fans were introduced to Evan Peters when he joined the X-Men franchise and took up the mantle of the teenage speedster Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past. He reprised the role in X-Men: Apocalypse, Deadpool 2, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix. The character became a fan-favorite for his wit and lightspeed action sequences.
Excitingly, with the X-Men slated to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its upcoming phases, it is possible that Evan Peters could reprise his role of Quicksilver in the MCU. The MCU has already had its version of Quicksilver played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, but this version met his demise when he died protecting Hawkeye in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Evan Peters even appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he appeared as a fake Pietro Maximoff in the Disney+ series WandaVision, a clear nod to his role in the X-Men films.
When Peters first appeared on screen as Pietro, fans were confused and quickly came up with all sorts of theories about how the X-Men character could be a harbinger for future X-Men included in the MCU. Many fans were disappointed when it was revealed that he was really just Ralph Bonner, a resident of Westview who was taken under the thrall of Agatha Harkness.
Still, some are not entirely convinced that this appearance was not more significant, and there are many theories about how Ralph Bonner could still be Pietro Maximoff.
Between the revelation of Evan Peters’ almost-casting in Season Two of White Lotus, speculation about his role in the MCU moving forward, and recent success in Dahmer–Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, the actor has quickly created quite the buzz for himself.
