You probably know him as Ethan, the high-achieving, tech-bro runner from the second season of The White Lotus. You know, the guy who spent half the vacation staring at a laptop and the other half having a slow-motion existential crisis in the Sicilian surf. But honestly? If that’s all you’ve seen of him, you’re missing about 90% of the picture.
Will Sharpe movies and TV shows aren't just things he acts in; they are often chaotic, deeply felt, and visually wild worlds that he builds from the ground up. He’s a writer. He’s a director. He’s a composer. He’s the guy who somehow makes a show about a family dealing with a suicide attempt feel like the funniest thing on television.
It’s rare to find someone who can switch from playing a quiet, repressed coder in Sicily to directing Olivia Colman as a convicted murderer in Landscapers. But Sharpe does it. He’s basically the Swiss Army knife of British entertainment.
The White Lotus and the "Quiet" Breakout
Before 2022, if you mentioned Will Sharpe in a pub, you’d probably get a blank stare unless you were talking to a hardcore BBC Two nerd. Then The White Lotus happened.
Sharpe’s Ethan Spiller was the ultimate "relatable" nightmare. He’s the guy who just won at life—he’s rich, he’s fit, he’s married to Aubrey Plaza—and yet he is completely, utterly hollow. People obsessed over that performance because it was so internal. There were no big speeches. Just a lot of jogging and a lot of looking at Theo James with a mixture of envy and disgust.
It earned him an Emmy nomination, but more importantly, it gave him the "clout" to do whatever he wanted next. And what he wanted next was to play Mozart.
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From Flowers to Giri/Haji: The Early Years
If you want to understand the DNA of his work, you have to go back to Flowers. It’s a Channel 4 show that most people have heard of but surprisingly few have actually sat down and watched.
Sharpe wrote and directed the whole thing when he was barely thirty. He also stars as Shun, a Japanese illustrator who lives with a dysfunctional British family. On the surface, Shun is a "comic relief" character, but the way Sharpe plays him—and the way he writes the show’s handling of mental illness—is brutal. It deals with depression and bipolar disorder (which Sharpe has spoken about having himself) with a level of honesty that is genuinely uncomfortable.
Then came Giri/Haji.
If you haven't seen this, go to Netflix right now. Seriously.
He plays Rodney, a half-Japanese, half-British sex worker in London who is addicted to everything and can’t stop talking. It’s the total opposite of his White Lotus role. Rodney is loud, colorful, tragic, and hilarious. Sharpe won a BAFTA for it, and he deserved it.
Key Roles You Might Have Missed
- Black Pond (2011): His directorial debut. It’s a tiny, weird indie film about a family that accidentally kills a guy. It's much better than that description makes it sound.
- The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021): He directed Benedict Cumberbatch in this biopic about the guy who drew those trippy cats. It’s a visual feast—vibrant, saturated, and deeply sad.
- Landscapers (2021): Another directing gig. This one stars Olivia Colman and David Thewlis as a real-life couple who killed her parents and buried them in the backyard. It’s a "true crime" show that looks like a technicolor dream.
Why 2026 is the Year of Will Sharpe
Right now, the buzz is all about Amadeus.
This isn't a remake of the 1984 movie, though it’s based on the same Peter Shaffer play. It’s a five-part series for Sky (streaming on Starz in the US as of early 2026). Sharpe is playing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Paul Bettany is playing Salieri.
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The early reviews are calling it "punk rock" and "decadent." Sharpe isn't playing the powdered-wig version of Mozart. He’s playing a 25-year-old musical genius who is basically a bratty superstar in 18th-century Vienna. It’s the kind of high-stakes, high-energy role that usually wins people every award on the planet.
But he’s also popping up in Too Much, a Netflix rom-com from Lena Dunham. He plays Felix, a "walking disaster" of a British man who falls for a New Yorker. It’s a complete shift in tone, showing he’s just as comfortable in a messy modern romance as he is in a period drama.
The Directing vs. Acting Split
Sharpe has often said that he sees himself as a director who happens to act. It’s a weird thing to say when you’re an Emmy nominee, but when you look at his movies, you get it.
He has this specific style—call it "Sharpe-esque"—where things are a little bit too bright, a little bit too fast, and a little bit too sad all at once. He loves using animation, stage-play sets, and vibrant colors to show what’s going on inside a character’s head.
In Landscapers, for example, he literally breaks the fourth wall, having the actors walk through film sets to show how they’ve romanticized their own crimes. It’s brilliant, experimental stuff that you just don't see on "mainstream" TV very often.
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How to Watch Will Sharpe in Order
If you’re new to his work and want to catch up, don't just jump into the deep end. Start with the "approachable" stuff and work your way into the weirdness.
- The White Lotus (Season 2): Get the "famous" performance out of the way. It’s great, it’s sunny, and it’s an easy watch.
- Giri/Haji: This is the bridge. It’s a slick crime thriller but with all of Sharpe’s signature heart and humor.
- Landscapers: Watch this to see his talent as a director. It’s only four episodes.
- Flowers: Save this for when you’re ready for something heavy. It’s his masterpiece, but it’s a lot to process.
- Amadeus: The newest project. It’s the culmination of everything he’s done so far.
Will Sharpe movies and TV shows are basically a masterclass in how to be a multi-hyphenate in the 2020s. He isn't interested in being a traditional leading man. He’s interested in the messy, uncomfortable, and beautiful parts of being human.
If you want to follow his career, keep an eye on his production company, South of the River Pictures, which he runs with Olivia Colman and Ed Sinclair. They are consistently putting out the kind of "prestige" TV that actually has something to say.
Next Step: If you haven't seen it yet, start your binge with Giri/Haji on Netflix. It’s the perfect introduction to why everyone in the industry is currently obsessed with him.