Wow, thank you, Jon Gries! The actor who appeared in what seemed like a small role in The White Lotus ended up becoming a “backstage protagonist”, considering that his character – Greg (or Gary or Steve) Hunt – is a cold-blooded con artist and potential murderer.

Deciphering who Greg is, his name, his past, and his intentions has become a fever since the second season of the series, in 2022, when it was revealed that he had set up the murder of his wife, Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge). Now it’s an obsession because he is on the run in Thailand and was identified by Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell), putting her in immediate danger. Not to mention other characters.

As we know, Greg Hunt is a complex and manipulative character, and Tanya’s accidental death – after eliminating his supposed hired killers – was providential so that he would only be among the suspects of having set everything up, without any clear evidence. The survivors who know the truth, Jack (Leo Woodwall) and Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), are out there, but so afraid that they currently live in luxury and peace in Thailand. Until Belinda arrived for an internship at the White Lotus and came face to face with him…

This personality change took everyone by surprise, especially the actor who learned from the showrunner, Mike White, that Greg is a psychopath. With this information, Jon Gries went to Italy to reimagine the character’s past, gaining even more dark layers now in Thailand. And he sought inspiration in two very real stories, that of the psychopathic millionaire Robert Durst and that of Simon Leviev, who became known as the Tinder Swindler.

The actor watched documentaries about the two psychopaths to create the true identity of Greg/Gary. He watched both seasons of the documentary series The Jinx on MAX and Tinder Swindler on Netflix. With two episodes left in the season finale, the revelation may be even more terrifying.

Who is the “Tinder Swindler”?

Right away, Greg/Gary’s association with Simon Leviev is even obvious. The Israeli who became famous for scamming women on dating sites like Tinder by lying about his identity and wealth could be the case for the antagonist of The White Lotus. While it is unclear whether Greg/Gary’s supposedly terminal illness is real, he certainly used this argument to “win over” Tanya. Leviev, on the other hand, pretended to be a millionaire heir to a business family, using a luxurious lifestyle, including private jets and luxury hotels, to impress his victims.

He would start relationships with women, gain their trust, and then make up stories about his life, including death threats and an urgent need for money to escape “danger”. He would ask women for large sums of money in loans, promising to pay them back, but he never did. Many of these women ended up in debt or losing large amounts of money.

His story became even more well-known after the release of the documentary The Tinder Swindler, on Netflix, in 2022. The documentary details how he acted and deceived several women around the world. Leviev was arrested in 2019, but his story continues to be discussed due to the complexity and manipulation involved in the scam.

Robert Durst: the millionaire who left a trail of blood until he betrayed himself by giving an interview to The Jinx

More than Leviev, Robert Durst‘s inspiration may be more terrifying for The White Lotus. In fact, Jon Gries even looks like the psychopath who passed away in 2022. In an interview, the actor said he was impressed by Durst’s “apparently balanced personality” and what he called “restrained anger underneath”. Because, according to him, someone “who doesn’t really show much emotion, doesn’t seem to get very angry, just gets a little irritated and is dangerous”.

Robert Durst was an American millionaire, heir to the fortune of his family, the Dursts, known for their large-scale real estate investments. His life, however, was marked by a series of mysterious and criminal events that generated great media attention. Durst became widely known for being involved in three deaths: the disappearance of his wife, Kathie Durst, in 1982; the murder of his friend Susan Berman, in 2000; and the death of his neighbor Morris Black, in 2001.

The disappearance of Kathie Durst, although never solved, made Robert the main suspect. However, despite the investigation, he was never formally charged with her murder. In 2000, Susan Berman, a friend of Durst and writer, was found dead in her Los Angeles home, shortly before she was to be called to testify in Kathie’s case. Durst was held responsible for Berman’s death, an attempt to silence someone who might reveal secrets about his past.

In addition, in 2001, Durst was accused of killing and dismembering his neighbor, Morris Black, in Galveston, Texas. He claimed that he acted in self-defense and, after a trial, was acquitted of the murder. However, Durst’s notoriety grew even more with the release of the documentary The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, which investigated his life and crimes. During filming, he was recorded apparently confessing to the murders, which led to a new investigation.

Durst was arrested in 2015 and, in 2021, was convicted of the murder of Susan Berman. His life is marked by a series of unsolved mysteries, strange behavior, and an apparent indifference to the consequences of his actions. His story became one of the most notorious cases of crimes committed by people with great financial power, remaining an enigma in the criminal history of the United States.

Any clues to Greg’s fate? Obviously, Greg/Gary’s ending doesn’t look like a “safe” one. He’s a fugitive from Interpol, trapped in Thailand and having to manage a lot of things at the same time. If Gries uses Durst as an example, unfortunately, it may seem like he comes out of the third season unscathed and only faces the consequences in the fourth. That’s because, based on Durst’s trajectory, who managed to escape justice twice until he messed up and was caught, Greg still has the same credit. Which isn’t hopeful for Belinda! What now?

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