Another week, another ‘The White Lotus’ nude scene that’s driving the internet bonkers

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: This season of The White Lotus is shaping up to be an incredibly horny one.

In the lead-up to the premiere of Sicily, all eyes were on Theo James, who we were promised would be “very naked” in the return of HBO’s dark satire. Well, the series wasted no time at all in confirming that, with James dropping trou and showing schlong some 30-odd minutes into the episode.

But, lost in the hubbub of Prosthetic Penis-gate, we seem to have forgotten that James also said “we’re all kind of naked [this season]” when speaking about his co-stars, and the second episode, “Italian Dream,” proves he’s a man of his word.

This week’s skin-baring spotlight goes to Will Sharpe, who plays Ethan Spiller, a newly wealthy tech bro on vacation with his wife, Harper (Aubrey Plaza), and their shallow rich friends Cameron (the aforementioned James) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy). Now, we saw Sharpe’s biceps bursting out of his shirtsleeves last week and raised an eyebrow, but this episode? This is was whole other level of thirst-trapping.

How about we take this to the next level?

Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.

Daily

Weekly

Promotions and Partner Emails

Related: Where the boys are: 5 shows to stream that feature full-frontal male nudity

After an early morning run through scenic Sicily, a sweaty Will returns to his room while Harper is downstairs at breakfast. Seizing the opportunity, he sheds his briefs, pops open his laptop, and boots up some *ahem* adult films (alas, he’s very straight). The reveal of what Sharpe’s been hiding under those polos was enough to get our heart rates up, but it only got steamier from there…

Harper arrives to the room earlier than expected and catches Will in the act. He admits what he was up to, but pretty quickly throws his underwear back on, trying to conceal the boner. Harper offers to help, but he declines—hinting at the couple’s frustrations which start bubbling to the surface later in the episode—before opting to hose himself down in the shower.

Related: Theo James reveals his “well-endowed” ‘White Lotus’ character will be very naked in new season

It’s at this point that any sort of sexual momentum evaporates, but series creator/director Mike White still treats us with an eyeful, as we’re left lingering on Sharpe’s chiseled profile in the shower, the shot (maddeningly) hovering just above the… well, you know.

Needless to say, viewers could barely contain themselves, with Gay Twitter™ dutifully screenshotting every frame. And, with that, a new internet crush was born—welcome to the party, Will Sharpe. But also: We’re so sorry.

Here’s just a few of our favorite reactions to this week’s The White Lotus: Sicily:

Who is The White Lotus: Sicily star Will Sharpe?

Now that Sharpe has our full attention, we did some digging into who he is, exactly, and where we might have seen him before.

First of all, we hate to break the news to you, but: Sharpe’s taken. He’s actually been linked to actress Sophia Di Martino—best known as Loki variant, Sylvie, in the Marvel series Loki—for a few years now, and the pair even have two children together. That’s right, Sharpe’s a daddy.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sophia Di Martino (@itssophiadimartino)

But that’s just one of many titles for this multi-hyphenate talent, who, in addition to acting, is also a writer and director. Though born in London, Sharpe spent the first few years of his life living in Tokyo before moving back to England. He attended the University Of Cambridge, and then graduated from the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company, where he starred in a number of plays.

Since then, he’s balanced a steady acting career—including an episode of BBC’s Sherlock—with his filmmaking ambitions. He wrote, directed, and starred in Channel 4’s dark family dramedy, Flowers, which won him a “Best Comedy Series” BAFTA in 2018. And then, he won another BAFTA two years later for his supporting turn in the Channel 4 series Giri/Haji.

But 2021 was perhaps his biggest year yet, which saw the premiere of his awards-buzzed biopic The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain (starring Benedict Cumberbatch), as well as HBO’s critically acclaimed true-crime miniseries Landscapers (starring Olivia Colman and David Thewlis).

With The White Lotus: Sicily introducing Sharpe to to an even wider audience, we’ll be eager to see what he does next—in front of or behind the camera. But, again, after what witnessed saw in this week’s episode… We’re just eager to see a lot more of him, period.

By the way, you really should check out Giri/Haji—now on Netflix—where Sharpe plays gay!