This week’s episode of HBO‘s Lanterns is full of shocking reveals, but the one that might take you the most by surprise is a mid-episode full-on nude scene, courtesy of Garret Dillahunt.
**Spoilers for Lanterns Episode 4 “The Weenie,” now streaming on HBO Max**
Lanterns Episode 4 “The Weenie” sees Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) work together to sneak into William Macon’s (Garret Dillahunt) compound to investigate what must be the source of all the town’s secrets. Naturally, the two are captured by the Rushville militia. When they’re taken to William Macon, the imperious man doesn’t threaten the Green Lantern and his trainee/replacement with threats or torture. No, he takes off his clothes and asks former art student John to draw him.
“It is a big power play scene, like he’s just showing how confident he is,” Garret Dillahunt told DECIDER, before revealing his one big question about Macon’s strategy.
“I don’t know why he would choose to do that in front of guys that are famous for not having any fear. Like they’re really not going to be intimidated, you know?” Dillahunt said. “But, you know, he doesn’t know that or I guess he just wants to express that he’s secure in his own manhood. I thought it was a funny scene. I thought it was well done.”
Costar Poorna Jagannathan added: “It also upends the world a little bit. It’s such a weird scene and so weirdly comical. It just upends the musicality of this whole thing. There’s just suddenly this thing and —”
“It gets weirder and weirder,” Dillahunt said.
“It’s weirder and weirder, yeah,” Jagannathan said.
Because the two Lanterns actors had already revealed to DECIDER that the twist involving Jagannathan’s character was kept secret until she read this week’s script, we had to ask if the producers also sprung this Episode 4 scene on them.
“I don’t remember when I was told. It wasn’t right out the gate, but it wasn’t like it was that episode, at the read through, where I was like, ‘What?‘ Because I think they want to give you time to make your peace with it or get ready, whatever you need to do,” Dillahunt said.
“So I was glad to have a little bit of time because I did need to get ready,” he said. “I thought those days were over.”
Dillhunt then revealed that this particular nude scene “didn’t bother” him. “Everyone was chill about it. The director, Geeta Patel, of that particular episode just really was concerned that I felt safe and you know they had it pre-lit and they did a lot of —”
“People did make fun of Garrett’s penis size the entire time, though,” Jagannathan quipped.
“Yeah, thank you, Poorna,” Dillahunt said. “You can make those jokes. I can’t make those.”
Lanterns will return next Sunday, September 13 at 9 PM ET on HBO and HBO Max.