When the first season of The White Lotus dropped back in 2021, nobody was really looking at Greg Hunt as the guy to watch. He was just that coughing guy in the next room—the one who "accidentally" tried to open Tanya McQuoid’s door. He seemed like a late-life romance, a bit of a silver fox who could handle Tanya’s hurricane-level energy. Then Season 2 happened. And then the Season 3 premiere in Thailand basically broke the internet when Jon Gries popped back up on screen.
Jon Gries has done something no other actor in the history of the show has managed. He is the only person to appear in all three seasons. Not even Jennifer Coolidge, the undisputed queen of the series, made it past the choppy waters of Sicily. By outlasting everyone, Greg has transitioned from a background romantic interest into the series' overarching big bad. It’s a wild pivot for an actor many of us grew up knowing as Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite.
The Evolution of Greg Hunt: From Fishing Trips to Felonies
Honestly, the way Mike White wrote this character is kind of genius. In Hawaii, Greg was the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) guy with a terminal illness. He was rugged, patient, and seemed to genuinely enjoy Tanya’s quirks. We all felt for him. We thought, "Oh, how sweet, he’s spending his last days with this crazy, beautiful woman."
Then came Sicily.
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The vibe shifted immediately. Greg was irritable. He was mean. He was obsessed with the prenup. When he left Tanya alone at the resort to go on a "work trip," the red flags were flying high enough to be seen from space. We later find out that Greg wasn't just some disgruntled husband; he was likely the "straight cowboy" from Quentin’s past. He wasn't in Italy for a vacation; he was setting up a hit.
The reveal that Greg was conspiring with a group of "high-end" scammers to inherit Tanya’s fortune recontextualized everything we thought we knew. Was the illness ever real? Was the "accidental" meeting in Hawaii a long-con?
Why Jon Gries is the Perfect Psychopath
Jon Gries has talked openly about how he approached the character's darker turn. In a 2025 interview after the Season 3 premiere, he mentioned asking Mike White point-blank: "Is Greg a psychopath?" White’s answer was a simple, "Yes."
That one word changed everything for Gries. He started looking into real-life monsters for inspiration. He specifically cited Robert Durst—the subject of The Jinx—and Simon Leviev from The Tinder Swindler. If you look at Greg’s performance in the later seasons, you can see that Durst-like quality: a flat, detached affect and a "restrained anger" that feels incredibly dangerous because it’s so quiet.
He isn't a mustache-twirling villain. He’s the guy who eats his dinner in an orange shirt, looking slightly annoyed that his food isn't hot enough, while his wife’s body is being hauled out of the Mediterranean.
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The Thailand Reveal: Greg is Now "Gary"
If you haven't seen the Season 3 premiere, Greg’s return is the definition of a "blink and you'll miss it" shocker. He’s hiding out in Thailand, going by the name "Gary." He has the money now. He’s living the life he always wanted, complete with a villa and a younger girlfriend named Chloe (played by Charlotte Le Bon).
But the past is catching up.
Belinda, the spa manager from Season 1 who Tanya famously snubbed, is also in Thailand. When she spots Greg, the tension is immediate. For the first time, Greg isn't the predator; he’s the prey. Watching him try to maintain his "Gary" persona while Belinda circles him is some of the most stressful television HBO has produced in years.
What the Experts Say About Greg's Endgame
Lotus-ologists—the die-hard fans who analyze every frame—have been debating whether Greg will actually face justice. It’s a polarizing topic. Mike White’s world isn't always fair. Often, the worst people get away with the most heinous things because they have the money to bury the truth.
- The Karma Theory: Some believe Belinda will be the one to finally bring him down, securing #JusticeForTanya.
- The Tragedy Theory: Others worry that Greg is too smart and too cold to be caught, and that Belinda might actually be in danger just for knowing who he is.
- The "Steve" Theory: There are still questions about his real identity. Was he Greg? Gary? Steve? The man is a ghost.
Breaking Down the Jon Gries Career Renaissance
It’s almost funny to think that the guy playing this cold-blooded con artist is the same man who wanted to throw a football over those mountains. Jon Gries has been a "that guy" actor for decades.
He was the werewolf in The Monster Squad. He was Lazlo Hollyfeld in Real Genius. He was Rusty the Bum in Seinfeld (the guy who stole Kramer’s rickshaw). He’s been in everything from Lost to the Taken trilogy.
But The White Lotus has given him a second act that most actors would kill for. He’s moved beyond the "character actor" label and become a genuine prestige TV antagonist. It’s a testament to his range that he can play someone so utterly loathsome while still making us want to see what he does next.
What You Should Watch For in Upcoming Episodes
If you’re tracking Greg’s arc this season, pay attention to the small stuff. The way he reacts when he thinks he's being watched. The "I love you" phone calls that started in Season 2—we still don't know who was on the other end of that line. Was it a child? A lover? Another accomplice?
The show is a puzzle, and Greg is the piece that keeps changing shape. He’s the ultimate survivor in a world designed to chew people up and spit them out.
To really understand the depth of the Greg/Gary/Steve conspiracy, keep an eye on his interactions with the resort staff. He knows how the "help" thinks because he spent years pretending to be one of the little guys. Now that he has the $500 million, he’s forgotten how to hide his contempt. That arrogance might be his undoing.
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Practical Next Steps for Fans:
If you want to stay ahead of the theories, you should re-watch the first three episodes of Season 2. Pay close attention to Greg’s dialogue before he leaves Sicily. Almost every line has a double meaning now that we know he’s a "psychopath." Also, look for the photograph in Quentin’s villa again—it’s the "smoking gun" that connects the entire series.