Steve Coogan lifts curtains behind reason of Helena Bonham Carter’s ‘The White Lotus’ exit

Steve Coogan believes Helena Bonham Carter's exit from The White Lotus shortly was a "mutual decision."

The Philomena star is part of the line-up for the star-studded season four of Mike White's hit TV series, but the cast was dealt with a major blow when Helena walked away from the shoot after the cameras started rolling.

Speaking to Deadline.com at the BAFTA TV Awards in London, Steve said, "It just went in a different direction. It was like, sometimes you find that something isn't working the way you want it to, in terms of, like, the character and the dynamic of the whole story...”

"So that was just a mutual decision … The whole part was rewritten from scratch,” he revealed.

Laura Dern has been drafted in to replace Helena, taking on a new part rather than the character that was created for Helena, while Steve remains part of the cast and he's insisted he's had a great time filming.

"I think I’ve slotted right in. I’m really enjoying it,” he told the outlet.

It is pertinent to mention that when Helena Bonham Carter made her exit from The White Lotus, an HBO spokesperson previously said in a statement, "With filming just underway on Season 4 of The White Lotus, it had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set.”

"The role has subsequently been rethought, is being rewritten and will be recast in the coming weeks. HBO, the producers and Mike White are saddened that they won't get to work with her, but remain ardent fans and very much hope to work with the legendary actress on another project soon,” it further mentioned.

It was then announced that Laura Dern, with whom Mike has previously worked on TV series Enlightened and the movie Year of the Dog, had joined the cast.