Jon Gries reacts to speculation he will return for The White Lotus season four

Jon Gries has reacted to speculation that he will be back for season four of The White Lotus.

The hit HBO series was recommissioned for a fourth season before the third had even started filming - and Gries was a shock addition to the cast for the third season.

His involvement had been kept a closely guarded secret after he had a prominent role in both the first and second seasons as villain Greg Hunt.

Addressing speculation that he will return in the already hotly anticipated fourth season, he told The Hollywood Reporter, "Well, you never know."

He continued, "There's no trying to predict anything Mike White does. I never presumed I'd be in season two. Same for season three. Everything he does has an element of surprise to it. Yes, I would love to come back. But does the book on Greg seem like it's complete? I can't tell you."

Gries's involvement in the third season was kept a secret - and he travelled to the filming locations in Thailand separately from his co-stars to prevent fans from realising he was back.

However, he has admitted he struggled to lie to friends about being back in the show - and concocted an elaborate lie to cover his back.

He explained, "I said I was going to the Philippines to film a new TV show for a European network. I kept saying, 'They're from Spain!'

"When I was a little kid, I saw this Steve McQueen called The Sand Pebbles. I don't know why it came to me, but I said, 'Yeah, it's a period piece. based on that movie.' I just built it from there. I told everyone I was playing one of the officers."

While the fourth season has been confirmed, filming dates and a release date are yet to be announced.