You Probably Missed the Laura Dern Cameo in the Premiere of The White Lotus

The White Lotus has officially landed in Italy for another round of debauchery and mystery, this time with a whole new set of characters. Upon entering season two of the HBO anthology series, we had an idea of what was in store, casting wise—The Sopranos star Michael Imperioli would be making his much-anticipated return to the network, the great F. Murray Abraham would join in as his father, and Jennifer Coolidge would be granted the honor of the sole returnee from season one. There was, however, one very unexpected addition to the cast in the premiere episode of season two, Laura Dern.

There’s a very good chance you missed Dern’s cameo in the episode, and before you go rewinding on your HBO app, looking for that Academy Award-winning face, let us warn you that you’re not going to find it. Because while Dern did have a small role on the show, it was just her voice that was featured.

About twenty minutes into the episode, Imperioli’s character, Dom, calls someone, and it immediately becomes clear that it’s his estranged wife. We learn that Dom originally planned the trip with her, but events transpired that turned it into a boy’s vacation. The woman on the other end of the line gets increasingly angry throughout the phone conversation with Dom. “I’ve wasted enough of my life. I don’t want you calling me anymore,” she screams, audibly upset. After a series of f-bombs, the woman hangs up the phone.

It’s an intense scene, but your first reaction to it may have been, “Wait a second, that voice sounded so familiar.” That’s because it was Dern on the other end of the line, playing the role of Dom’s betrayed wife. Dern’s cameo isn’t totally unprecedented as she has worked with The White Lotus’ creator, Mike White, before, on his HBO show, Enlightened. And we know how White loves his regulars, as made evident by his appreciation for Coolidge.

So, does this mean Dern will be making another appearance on the show? There could be another phone conversation, or a surprise drop in from her character even. From the tone of that last call, however, it seems like a good chance that Dern’s character wants nothing to do with Dom anymore, and won’t be popping up again.

Dern’s cameo actually wasn’t even the only easter egg in the premiere episode. Fans of Survivor may have noticed some familiar faces in the first scene, when Meghann Fahy’s Daphne is chatting with two women on the beach. Those women are Angelina Keeley and Kara Kay, two contestants on season 37 of Survivor, which White also competed on. This isn’t the first time a former Survivor contestant appeared on The White Lotus. Last season, Alec Merlino, who also competed on the show with White, Keeley, and Kay, made a cameo as a bartender at the Hawaiian resort. As for season two, Keeley and Kay’s appearance marks the end of the Survivor references. “That's it for this season,” White told Entertainment Weekly. No word on if Dern will appear again, however, so we’re keeping our hopes up.