Sam Rockwell talks 'White Lotus' monologue prep, S.F. sex club, and meeting Harvey Milk

A lot to unpack here!

Sam Rockwell, who played Frank on The White Lotus season 3, appeared in a new interview where he got to discuss his character's wild and iconic monologue, his collaborative process with showrunner Mike White, his personal relationships with certain costars in the HBO series, and his upbringing in San Francisco — which included living in the Castro and meeting Harvey Milk at a very young age.

In this new Armchair Expert interview — a podcast cohosted by Dax Shepard and Monica Padman — Rockwell recalled a time when he visited a "sex club," shared his perspective on the "combative" relationship between Walton Goggins (Rick Hatchett) and Aimee Lou Wood (Chelsea), and explained how his wife, Leslie Bibb (yes, the actress who played Kate Bohr in season 3!), helped him memorize Frank's infamous monologue on the show.

Here's how Sam Rockwell prepared for that 'White Lotus' monologue.

Sam Rockwell had been reportedly filming Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die — a new movie directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Matthew Robinson — in April 2024, which was shot in South Africa, per Deadline. Even though he had to memorize a 10-page monologue for the Verbinski movie, Rockwell was nervous about the wild monologue he'd have to deliver on The White Lotus.

"I actually went to [actor] Billy Crudup, who I had gone to before, to get help on that monologue," Rockwell said in the Armchair Expert interview. "I was a little tuned up, but I was then I was worried I wasn't gonna be able to get off-book in time."

The actor also credited his wife, Leslie Bibb (who played Kate Bohr in the third season of The White Lotus), for helping him work through that monologue.

Rockwell "pitched some things to Mike White" related to The White Lotus monologue. And even though the showrunner "went for some of it," the actor clarified that "Mike's too good a writer; you don't want to mess with it."

Sam Rockwell filmed his iconic 'White Lotus' scene in just one take.

When asked about the actual filming of The White Lotus monologue, Rockwell noted that he "just went in there and did it," adding that he had "shaved my head, put a tattoo on, some scars, and that was it" in terms of changes to his appearance.

Rockwell also revealed that he filmed the infamous monologue in just one take.

"They had an earwig, and I said, 'Prepare an earwig just in case I get in trouble,' and then I didn't need it. I did it in one take," he said in the interview. "And then I think we continued to do one-takers, you know? And not break it up too much. Mike's just amazing; he's like a Paddy Chayefsky kind of writer."

For context: Paddy Chayefsky, a critically acclaimed screenwriter, is one of only three writers to win Oscars for both original screenplays (1972's The Hospital, 1977's Network) and adapted screenplays (1956's Marty).

The surprising story of how Walton Goggins and Sam Rockwell met and became friends.

As Shepard expressed how happy he feels about seeing Walton Goggins getting this new momentum in his career, Rockwell not only agreed, but also added: "You know, we had done Cowboys & Aliens together."

"You met him there?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah, we met on that. I don't know if I've ever worked with a friend that closely," Rockwell explained. "So when we did White Lotus, it was really cool to have a shorthand with somebody like that."

The Armchair Expert host asked Rockwell if filming such a wild scene with a close friend made the experience easier or harder.

"It definitely helped because we had to play friends," the actor replied. "I could just make him laugh, and he could make me laugh."

Tensions between Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood? Sam Rockwell shared some thoughts.

Rockwell recalled that Goggins was "having a great time" filming The White Lotus, and was "so happy to have somebody [like Rockwell] there" with him.

"[Goggins] had been kind of, you know…" Rockwell continued. "He and [Aimee Lou Wood], they had a different thing. Their thing was more combative."

Shepard noted, "He probably needed a fucking break from that. It can't be fun to be a dick to your co-star in every scene for months."

"He was definitely having a tough time. And Walt gets very serious," Rockwell said.

Sam Rockwell once visited a "sex club" in San Francisco.

The Armchair Expert host recalled, "I remember you telling me about a time in your youth that you went to a sex club in San Francisco, [which had] this guy on roller skates, bare-naked [laughs]. You said you got to this club and you're like, 'Whoa, there's a lot going on.'"

"Yeah, that's a true story. He was just roller skating," Rockwell replied. "There was a person with a little tiny hammer and a chisel."

When asked why he had ended up visiting a "sex club in San Francisco," Rockwell explained matter-of-factly that he had just "bumped into a friend from elementary school," adding:

"He said, 'I'm doing this thing. [You should] check it out.' And I said, 'Oh, that's kind of cool.' It was just not what I imagined, really. I thought it would be kind of sexier. And it wasn't so sexy. I was just like, 'Yeah, no, this is not for me.'"

Sam Rockwell's upbringing in San Francisco, having actors as parents, and meeting Harvey Milk.

"OK, Bay Area, 1968, you arrive. November 5th?" Shepard asked.

Rockwell replied, "November 5, 1968. Nixon was elected."

"On that day?!" Shepard reacted.

Rockwell said, "Yes."

(He's right: Richard Nixon won the U.S. presidential campaign of 1968 on November 5, as noted in the Britannica.)

Both of his parents pursued careers as actors, though Rockwell clarified that they both eventually gave up. "My dad dropped out kind of early. My mother became a painter," he explained. "My dad did a lot of jobs. We moved to San Francisco in the Tenderloin. I don't know if you know what the Tenderloin is? Kind of a sketchy…"

"…Gnarly, right? In the 70s and 80s," Shepard added.

"Yeah," Rockwell said. "My dad had a couple of weapons pulled on him, and was mugged."

Rockwell went on to say that his father "was a union organizer for a while" and also "drove a cab" over the years. This meant that Rockwell and his family lived in several different places in San Francisco, such as the Castro District, the Fillmore District, and the Haight-Ashbury District.

The actor even "met Harvey Milk in San Francisco when I was like 8," he recalled.

The White Lotus season 3 is streaming on HBO Max. You can watch and/or listen to Sam Rockwell's full interview on the Armchair Expert podcast below.