Arnas Fedaravicius may have only just joined The White Lotus in its third season, but his impact on fans was instant, especially among LGBTQ+ viewers.
Playing Valentin, a Russian health mentor working at the Thai resort, the 33-year-old Lithuanian actor quickly became a fan favourite, both on and off-screen. Viewers at home were just as captivated as the resort’s trio of holidaying besties — Laurie (Carrie Coon), Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), and Kate (Leslie Bibb) — swooning over Valentin’s sculpted physique and magnetic presence.
Speaking with Club Cine, Fedaravicius was candid about the influx of attention following the show’s premiere.
“I’ve been receiving so much gay love,” he said. “My DMs are full.”
The actor even caught wind of a cheeky game circulating on social media. “I saw someone on Instagram do a smash or pass with five of us [actors]: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tayme Thapthimthong, and myself,” he added with a laugh.
In a separate chat with Flaunt, Fedaravicius touched on his unexpected heartthrob status.
“I find it funny, honestly. The costume for my opening scene wasn’t even planned — it was added last minute, and I immediately saw what they were going for,” he said. “I’ve experienced that kind of attention in my life before, not in a negative way, but it’s amusing. It’s part of the character, and you just roll with it.”
That attention, however, sometimes crosses a line.
“I’ve been receiving a lot of interesting messages since the show aired. Some are funny, some are flattering, and some are… a bit much!” he admitted. “But at the end of the day, I take it all with a sense of humour. I understand that it’s part of the industry, and as long as it stays respectful, I don’t mind embracing that aspect of Valentin’s character.”
Before landing in the tropical chaos of The White Lotus, Fedaravicius was best known for his role as Sihtric in The Last Kingdom and its film continuation Seven Kings Must Die. He also appeared as Masema Dagar in The Wheel of Time and as Lukas Nowak in the Scottish crime drama Shetland.
Up next, Fedaravicius will share the screen with Jason Statham and Annabelle Wallis in the 2026 action film Mutiny.
As The White Lotus continues to deliver drama, decadence, and desirable men, it seems fans — particularly the queer ones — won’t be sliding out of Fedaravicius’s DMs anytime soon.
