‘The White Lotus’ gets darker

Creator Mike White’s dramedy series about The White Lotus, a fictional luxury hotel chain frequented by troubled rich people and the beleaguered, not so ordinary folk who staff it, began life as a pandemic-era one-off miniseries in 2021, set in the paradise of Hawaii. It proved such a hit with audiences, critics and awards judges that White went on to create a second season in 2022, taking the action to Sicily and entrenching its reputation as one of the smartest, darkest and most singular shows in the post-peak TV universe, earning 15 Emmy Awards and a reputation as the show that every actor worth their salt would kill to be part of.

Unusually, the show remains completely under the control of its creator, with White writing, directing and editing every episode and ensuring that it’s very much his distinctive vision of the world of one-percenter luxury placed in a pressure cooker of jeopardy, betrayal and existential angst.

Now, two years after its second season of Italian adventures, White has returned with a third season that sees a new group of guests, staff and a few familiar faces descending on Thailand for a series of misadventures that may be its darkest yet. Starring Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, Walton Goggins, Aimee Lou Wood and featuring a return to the White Lotus for season 1 breakout star Natasha Rothwell it’s a vacation that none of its many morally dubious characters and its dedicated audience are going to forget in a hurry.

What is it about Mike White’s world that’s made this show a success with actors, critics and audiences?

Jason Isaacs (Timothy Ratliff): Mike is too clever, too talented and too human to repeat himself. He’s not interested in rebooting by throwing new people in, he wants to go further and explore more. The thing about his writing is that none of it falls into easy categories, so there are no clichés.

Aimee Lou Wood (Chelsea): It's the first time I’ve worked with a director who’d written the material. Mike has an intimacy because of his knowledge of this world — it’s so precise and at the same time not controlling because he trusts the actors. Mike’s world is very specific. He's created it and he runs and directs it. He edits it so it feels intimate — that director/actor relationship. It’s all his vision — we’re expressing his ideas. People might think he’s acerbic and cynical because that’s the nature of the show but he’s actually optimistic. It was great to express the energetic, optimistic part, through Chelsea.

Carrie Coon (Laurie): Mike has a particular style. He’s an excellent writer. Every actor in LA and New York auditioned for The White Lotus last year. We happened to be the ones who were chosen, so we feel very fortunate. Watching the first two seasons helps prepare you for the work but Mike’s been doing this kind of work for decades: If you’ve seen Chuck and Buck or Enlightened, which was centred around spirituality, you'll see he’s been writing like this for a while.

Leslie Bibb (Kate): It’s such a singular experience — you don’t usually have one writer/director for every episode. He’s done that for all three seasons. He takes you to a place that’s far from your normal, daily life and you’re plunked down there for six months. It feels like art and life start to mirror each other.

What’s it like to return to The White Lotus after having been part of the first season when nobody quite knew how the show would be received? 

Natasha Rothwell (Belinda): You’re getting back in character, a character that hasn’t lived through commercial success. I fiercely protect the characters I play from responding to external expectations. It was a privilege to be a part of season one. In the first season of shows the characters are defining their world and creating the environment together without external input. I credit Mike for protecting us from being responsive to external fan theories.  The stakes feel higher this time but I choose to stick to what’s in me and on the page and with the cast — and not invite any pressure. As people see the show and the status of the show gets bigger, it's beautiful to see the community we create on set. We’re all at the top of our games and we get to geek out about being capital A actors with amazing material. We wouldn’t be worth our salt if we let external opinions or buzz take us away from our passion. The fandom can be incessant so you have to choose to be present and focused on the work.

Is this a distinctly darker season in tone and theme?

JI: It’s not dark. It’s richer, more profound. There are questions of identity. Mike chose Thailand because people go there on a spiritual odyssey plus all the normally entertaining things. He wanted to make the series more resonant

Patrick Schwarzenegger (Saxon Ratliff): It's fascinating how he changes aspects of the show to match the theme and vibe — like the score and the opening sequence with the music. I loved how upbeat the previous seasons were. It's iconic that he pushes the envelope and makes it darker this time.

CC: Every character is pretending. It’s all about mirrors and masks. Isn’t that the world we’re living in? We live in an Instagram/Tik Tok world in which everyone feels left out, like everybody one else is living the life they wish for. We're in an epidemic of loneliness, we’re more isolated than ever. 

• The White Lotus Season 3 airs weekly on M-Net DSTV Channel 101 from February 17 express from the US at 4am, Prime Time at 9pm. Episodes are also available weekly on Showmax.