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Woody Harrelson wants you to know that it's not always about the money.

See, the Zombieland actor was once considered to play Rick Hatchett, the role taken over by the ever-so-popular Walton Goggins, in the recently concluded White Lotus season 3. After that info came out, a rumor arose that Harrelson bailed on the series because he couldn't get his paycheck to be higher. According to the actor himself, though, that's not true, and he felt it important enough to make a public statement and explain.

Let's back this up a bit - the rumor about Harrelson quitting over a pay dispute comes from a recent oral history of The White Lotus season 3 published by The Hollywood Reporter. "According to two sources," reads one part of the interview series, "[Harrelson] went all the way to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to see if his salary could be negotiated. It couldn’t."

It's a pretty dramatic story, partially because it's got that "selfish celeb" angle the public craves so much. But as both Woody Harrelson and his representatives put it, it's not based in fact.

"I was set to do White Lotus and very excited," Harrelson said in a statement reported on by The Daily Beast, "Unfortunately, their production schedule shifted, and conflicted with a pre-planned family vacation, forcing me to make an extremely hard decision."

But here's the really interesting thing: according to Harrelson's reps, the part that the True Detective actor gave up because of scheduling wasn't even Rick Hatchett in the first place. It was drifter Frank, the brief (but very memorable) role that ended up going to Sam Rockwell. 

"[Harrelson] was set to do the show and they moved the date," say the actor's representatives, "And because they moved to date, he was no longer available so they recast. That part was the Sam part."

It's a he-said, she-said, for-money-or-for-love kind of tale that feels very appropriate for The White Lotus. We have no reason not to believe Harrelson, and yet, we can't help but feel that the story is only going to keep fans guessing as to who's telling the truth. If nothing else, to keep them entertained until The White Lotus season 4 rolls around.

The White Lotus season 3 (sans Woody Harrelson) is streaming on Max now.

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