In an unexpected replacement in the fourth season of the HBO series The White Lotus, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern is taking the place of Helena Bonham Carter.

A longtime collaborator and friend of the series' creator, Mike White, Dern is getting a character written for her by White. Dern's role, according to the makers, is central to the fourth season's story.

Though she is a new entrant in the star cast, Dern is not a stranger to the series. She did an uncredited voice cameo in season 2. White and Dern have collaborated on the Year of the Dog (2007), starring Dern and written and directed by White, and HBO series Enlightened (2011-13), co-created by Dern and White, in which Dern starred. The White Lotus season 4, set against the Cannes Film Festival backdrop, follows a new group of White Lotus hotel guests and employees for over a week.