Why Patrick Schwarzenegger and other cast members of ’The White Lotus’ say Season 3 is a must-watch

Being from the South herself, Parker Posey was thrilled at the chance to play Victoria, to work with Mike White and also explore the stunning beauty of Thailand, all in one setting. “She’s very focused on her family. There’s a lot of neurosis, love and fear of losing her children in this transitional time in this woman’s life,” Posey shares. 

Prior to filming The White Lotus in Thailand, Posey had never been to Asia before. “To work as an actor, you go from location to location, and then after work you go home and rest. But with The White Lotus, both Natasha and I were struck by the magical beauty of Thailand, from the smoke of mosquito coils that made me feel like a character out of James Cameron’s Avatar to the trees and foliage—it’s such a different landscape.

Posey adds: “One of my favourite days on set was when Lisa and Khun Lek were performing the dance scene, and Lisa was dressed in traditional Thai attire—she looked just like a painting had come to life. We were really struck by the beauty of people and being in this beautiful place.”

Natasha Rothwell, who plays Belinda (the spa manager from The White Lotus in Hawaii), also embraced Thailand and prepared for an entirely different experience from the first season.

“When I finally got to set, it was nighttime in Koh Samui, and the jet lag just took over. The next morning, I woke up and opened my curtains and I started crying at the beauty of the island,” she says. “I hadn’t even started working yet, and I thought, what a crazy life. I get to wake up to vistas like this.”

Sarah Catherine Hook took inspiration for her character, Piper, from Thailand’s beauty and also the camaraderie on set with her fellow cast members. “In a way, I was living The White Lotus guest experience. We were essentially living at this hotel. We’ve all been saying how meta it is. I never in my life thought I’d ever have the chance to go to Thailand, let alone live here for six months filming.”

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Sam Nivola, who plays Lochlan Ratliff, also appreciated the novelty of filming in Thailand at luxurious spots like the Four Seasons Koh Samui. “Literally every scene is something that we as people would never, ever experience in real life,” says the 21-year-old actor. “Of course, that’s always the case with acting, even if you’re playing some version of, say, a kid from Brooklyn, New York, you’re still embodying a different character. But this is like the craziest degree of different from our normal lives. Every scene was a totally new experience.”

Fun fact, Schwarzenegger actually cried when he found out he got the part of Saxon in the latest season. Filming in Thailand also proved an experience that was unforgettable and incredibly informative. “Just the overall experience of being at this kind of hotel, this beautiful place, for six and a half months with the cast and crew—it just was an experience we don’t get to do often, if ever,” Schwarzenegger says. “We filmed in multiple locations from Koh Samui to Bangkok to Phuket. The show’s third season is bigger in every sense—bigger cast, more locations.

“The show did a great job of infusing so many of the locals into the project, from the extras we filmed to the assistants, the hotel staff—everybody was just incredible to work with. Watching them on the screen and getting to witness their talent is just so great. For someone like Lisa, who, despite this being her acting debut, she’s a totally a natural born star. And it’s amazing to watch her and Tayme (Tayme Thapthimthong) go out there and do their work,” he says.

“It’s true,” Isaacs adds mischievously. “Lisa is irritatingly talented as an actress. She’s just got what it takes for the big screen. Fabulous.”

“Oone of the great privileges of our job as actors, is when you travel to other countries and you spend enough time with people there who are from that culture, you have an insight into the culture that tourists never get. I learned something of what it’s like to be a Thai person from Khun Lek, from Tayme, Dom and Lisa to a lesser extentm because she’s been living in South Korea and travelling mostly.”

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Reflecting on the themes of spirituality and wellness that feature strongly in the third season of The White Lotus, Isaacs also points out the bigger questions that are addressed by the show’s dark comedy.

“It brings up questions of what is life for? What are we? What is death, what is the ego? There’s a misconception, I think, that acting is pretending things. But acting is really trying to be as close to the actual thing as possible and engaging your imagination. In my character and out of it, I was thinking about, am I my reputation? Am I what other people think of me? Who am I? What’s death and what will be my legacy? What will people remember of me and does it really matter?”

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