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Livvy Dunne reveals hit HBO show rejected her before landing 'Baywatch'

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones05/14/26brianjones_93

Livvy Dunne revealed that she auditioned for a hit HBO show before landing a role on the Baywatch reboot. While appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, the former LSU gymnast said she was looking to be on The White Lotus, but she was turned down.

“So, actually, my first ever audition was in person. It was different because in gymnastics, usually you just go out there and perform on a 4-inch beam. But this, I have to talk and perform and play somebody else rather than myself. So, it was a completely different animal,” Dunne said. “I ended up not getting that one, which was probably a show that you would know. It was for White Lotus.”

Dunne might not have landed the role with White Lotus, but it was not the end for her. That led to the big role she is in now.

“I ended up auditioning for Baywatch and submitted my self-tape,” she said. “I had really no expectation of what was going to happen. I got a call back. It’s iconic, and that’s the first callback I’ve ever gotten, and I ended up booking it.”

The Baywatch reboot will air during the 2026-27 television season. Dunne stars in the series with Stephen Amell, Brooks Nader, Shay Mitchell, Noah Beck, and Hassie Harrison.

Livvy Dunne shares more on ‘Baywatch’

Dunne is dating Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, and she was recently asked what his reaction was to her being on Baywatch. “Paul has been nothing but supportive of this,” Dunne told E! News at the FOX Upfront presentation in New York earlier this week, “and he has his jobs, and I have my jobs, so we both want to execute at our best ability no matter what it is.”

“…I would say I’ve learned mostly from the girls on set, being around them, watching how they work every single day, their work ethic, how they go about their day. It’s been a real joy.”

Dunne was a member of the LSU gymnastics team from 2021 to 2025 and helped the team win a national title in 2024. She developed a huge social media following during her time at LSU and now has over 12 million followers on all platforms.