The Tragic True Story of Alexandra Daddario

Aside from the nude scene, the first season of True Detective was a huge driving force for Alexandra Daddario’s career in the coming years. She starred in American Horror Story: Hotel, as well as such comedies as Baywatch and The Haul, although the latter two were both critical and commercial failures. Before she knew it, the forward momentum that seemed to emerge on True Detective had faded, and Daddario ended up feeling a little directionless in her career.

As she told Women’s Health magazine: “A couple of years before the pandemic, I knew what work I needed to do, but it just wasn’t happening.” She often found herself in roles that required her to show off her body, like in True Detective, resulting in notable swimsuit scenes in both Baywatch and The Stop. Clearly, Daddario had to get used to being a sexy celebrity if her career was going to continue down this path.

Luckily, she was saved by a phone call from Mike White, who invited her to join the cast of his new HBO series White Lotus, which was filming in Hawaii. Although it was a difficult shoot due to Covid-19 restrictions, the opportunity to be part of what will soon become one of the hottest new shows on television was worth it.