What would life look like for Rachel Patton if she returned to The White Lotus?
Alexandra Daddario, who portrayed the conflicted newlywed in season 1 of HBO’s acclaimed dark comedy, has a few theories.
Speaking with People magazine about her new coming-of-age film I Wish You All the Best, Daddario, 39, shared that she imagines Rachel likely stayed married to her wealthy and self-absorbed husband, Shane, played by Jake Lacy.
“In my mind she stayed with him. And what does that look like four years down the road? And did they have kids? There’s a lot of directions that could go in,” she said.
“I do think about her as a character, and it makes me sad to think that she’s still out there in the creative ether with him.”
Still, she admitted she’d be curious to see creator Mike White’s take: “I would be very curious to see what he thinks she’s up to.”
Season 1, set at the luxury resort in Maui, followed Rachel and Shane on their tense honeymoon as Rachel began questioning her marriage. By the finale, she chose to remain with him—despite Shane having accidentally killed hotel manager Armond, played by Murray Bartlett.
As for where Rachel might vacation next, Daddario teased, “There’s a lot of places in the world I want to go that I haven’t been, but I would be more interested in what this story was. Portugal’s very in right now.”
While The White Lotus has since expanded with new characters and settings, Daddario admitted she hasn’t seen the latest Thailand-set season.
“I have not turned the television on since the birth of my child,” she laughed, referring to the baby she welcomed in 2024 with her husband, producer Andrew Form.
In I Wish You All the Best, Daddario plays a North Carolina woman who takes in her nonbinary sibling (Corey Fogelmanis) after they’re rejected by their parents — a role she calls “an important story.”