Scott Glenn reveals the secret final word cut from The White Lotus season 3 finale, what it means, and how his shocking twist ties into Thai culture.
In true The White Lotus fashion, the season 3 finale delivered a jaw-dropping climax full of betrayal, bloodshed, and a haunting reveal that changes everything. But what fans didn’t hear on screen was one final word whispered by Scott Glenn’s character Jim Hollinger — a powerful moment left on the cutting room floor. Now, Scott Glenn is opening up about what he said, what it meant, and how the character’s ending ties into both Thai culture and the show’s deeper themes of identity, rebirth, and closure.
The explosive season 3 finale of The White Lotus saw three major characters meet their end — including Jim Hollinger, played by Scott Glenn — but there’s even more to the story than what aired. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Scott Glenn opened up about a powerful scene that was filmed but ultimately left out: Jim’s dying word.
In “Amor Fati,” Jim is shot and killed by Rick (played by Walton Goggins) in a tragic twist after a tense confrontation. Rick believes Jim murdered his father, only to find out too late that Jim was his father. It’s a shocking reveal — one that ends with Rick, Jim, and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) all dead before the credits roll. But in an alternate take, Scott Glenn says his character didn’t just die in silence.
“There’s one version that I died slinking into his arms saying one last word, that they left out,” Scott Glenn revealed. “One word: ‘Buakaw,’ which means, in Thai, White Lotus.”
More than just a poetic final word, “Buakaw” is also the name of Buakaw Banchamek, a legendary Muay Thai fighter. Scott Glenn, who spent time training in Muay Thai and Muay Baram to prepare for the role, says this real-life fighter embodied the spirit of his character and the deeper themes of the show. “When I got to Thailand, one of the things I did in preparation for the part was to find something that would give me a rhythm of the country,” he explained. “Brando taught me years ago that every country has its rhythm, and if you want to get in character, find that rhythm.”
Jim Hollinger wasn’t your average hotel manager. According to Scott Glenn, Jim had lived in Thailand for over five decades, fully immersing himself in the culture — far beyond the usual expat experience. “I am home,” Scott Glenn said of Jim’s perspective. “I’m somebody who’s lived off and on in Thailand for 60 years, steadily for the last 50 years.”
That deep connection influenced Scott Glenn’s performance, including one key moment where he made the choice to speak in Thai — something not originally in the script. “After living here for 50 years with a Thai wife and two Thai daughters, why on Earth am I speaking English to these two guys?” he asked on set, recalling a moment where he improvised lines in Thai with the help of co-star Lek Patravadi.
The heartbreaking irony of Jim’s final confrontation with Rick is that he never tells him the truth: that he is, in fact, Rick’s biological father. Scott Glenn says that decision was rooted in Jim’s past and his desire to leave it behind. “I think when my character left the States and left Walton’s mom, I closed the door on that part of my life and started a new one,” he shared. “And now I’m at the point where I don’t want to go back into my old life at all.”
But still, that final word — Buakaw — wasn’t for Rick. “It wasn’t to Rick,” Scott Glenn clarified. “It was kind of to Sritala [Patravadi’s character]. But it was more just to myself: the realization that I’ve been shot, I’m dying.”
With The White Lotus already confirmed for a fourth season, fans may not have seen the last of the mystery surrounding Jim Hollinger. Scott Glenn even joked that Thailand is known for its excellent medical care — “Maybe I could go through a bunch of operations and survive. Who knows!”
Either way, Scott Glenn remains proud of his work on the show, crediting Mike White as an actor’s dream collaborator. “Mike is a joy to be around. He not only puts up with my crazy way of acting, but encourages it,” he said. “When they asked me if I wanted the part, I called Mike up… and I had to let him know ahead of time. Because when you say action, I’ll do what it says physically to do in the script… But how I do it? I don’t know until the take starts.”
As for what’s next? Scott Glenn is already eyeing his next big moment on screen in the upcoming action thriller Eugene the Marine, which he calls “the best work I’ve ever done.”
If The White Lotus was Scott Glenn’s swan song, that final word might have said it all. Buakaw — White Lotus — a symbol not just of spiritual perfection in Thai Buddhism, but of a character whose end was as complex and layered as the show itself.
