Dive into the intense heat of filming for 'The White Lotus' Season 3 in Thailand. Get exclusive insights from creator Mike White on the darker, more ambitious direction of the new season, featuring a star-studded cast and unexpected twists. Explore White's creative process, his observations on the human condition, and the enduring allure of the 'White Lotus' universe.
The intense heat at the Four Seasons Koh Samui, a primary filming location for The White Lotus \u2019s third season, is undeniable. One crew member puts it bluntly, \u201creally f-cking hot.\u201d Not that the 110°F scorch prevents Patrick Schwarzenegger , son of Arnold, from doing push-ups as the crew prepares for another take.
As the scene\u2019s cast clambers onto sun loungers by the infinity pool, three burly Thai guys in wide-brimmed straw hats and sodden neck towels wade into the water clutching towering reflectors. The cameras start rolling as Aimee Lou Wood banters with Schwarzenegger while munching nonchalantly on an apple. A yell of \u201ccut\u201d emerges from a blacked-out poolside cabana, where White is glued to a monitor wearing headphones and a huge grin. Another meticulously carved apple is passed to Wood for continuity. Three takes later and White is satisfied, pumping arms skyward in a mini jig. \u201cI like it,\u201d he mutters. White, one of TV\u2019s most sought-after producers, ambles over to Wood and Schwarzenegger to offer avuncular praise, though his untamed hair, threadbare shorts, and sweat-stained Kauai T-shirt smack more of a perennial drifter who\u2019s wandered up from the beach to sell pot. The crew breaks for lunch, save for Wood, who\u2019s got a stomachache 15 apples in. Viewers are sure to feel in their guts the more pleasurable pain of interpersonal friction and rising suspense when Season 3 premieres on Feb. 16. Following the snooty guests and careworn staff in a luxury hotel chain will once again morph into a twisted crucible of nerve-shredding subterfuge. Set in Thailand, after previous seasons in Hawaii and Italy, the latest installment promises to be grander, more epic—and much, much darker. \u201cI do feel like the other seasons were a rehearsal for this one,\u201d says White, perched on a stool between takes at Phuket\u2019s Bangla Muay Thai Stadium during one of two exclusive set visits granted to TIME. \u201cThere\u2019s stuff that I\u2019ve never directed before.\u201d Details about the third season have been kept tightly under wraps. The secrecy is part of the fun; characters reveal themselves to us slowly, as dozens of small mysteries and major twists crescendo to the culminating crime. This goes double for Season 3, which stars scene stealers like and represents both a vibe shift and an expansion of scope. Surprises abound, as do scammers of various pedigree. Past seasons have opened by introducing a cast of characters in their resort bubble; that won\u2019t happen until the finale. This season\u2019s white-knuckle prologue suggests a more terrifying escalation looms, and is one of several elaborate action sequences that are enough of a departure that White feels compelled to aver, \u201cI\u2019m not Ridley Scott.\u201d In 2020, HBO asked White—who writes and directs every episode solo, a rarity in the TV world—to come up with a single-location miniseries that could be produced in compliance with expensive COVID-19 protocols. White sequestered an ensemble at the Four Seasons in Maui for a satire of wealth that also happened to be a murder mystery. It premiered in July 2021 to virtually universal acclaim. Audiences savored White\u2019s scathing dialogue, actor as the emotionally indigent heiress Tanya McQuoid, and the show\u2019s sly insights into how money comes to shape our every relationship. Its viewership grew by a factor of 3.5 over the course of the season, with 7 million having streamed the premiere by the time the finale aired. Of course, by then it was no longer actually a limited series. HBO had renewed it for a second season just before the first ended. Set in the romantic environs of Sicily and free from the confines of the pandemic, Season 2 allowed White to take his characters off the resort, on excursions that broadened the series\u2019 cinematic setting. White\u2019s sleight of hand is to tantalize viewers with glimpses of luxury attainable only for the wealthiest people, even as it assures us that their guilty consciences and limited worldviews prevent them from enjoying such splendor. Season 2 was nominated for a host of Emmys, and won Coolidge a second trophy. No one is more surprised than White that this painfully perceptive style, one he\u2019d been honing for two decades, rocketed into the zeitgeist. \u201cI\u2019m happy that people like this and that I can keep doing it,\u201d he says during a video call in January. But \u201ci don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m ever going to be the kind of writer who is like, \u2018I know what people want.\u2019\u201d For him, the show, packed with the kind of uncomfortable conversations that fans can endlessly dissect on social media, reflects his self-described \u201cmor minor edgelord\u201d sensibility and offers an outlet to make oblique cultural commentary. Yet it\u2019s also a personal product of a lifetime\u2019s worth of travel. As much as he appreciates his many adventures, White has observed how a vacation can annihilate the familiar context of a quotidian existence surrounded by friends, family, and the distractions of work. What is meant to be a hard-earned break can devolve into an existential crisis
The White Lotus HBO Mike White Season 3 Thailand Aimee Lou Wood Patrick Schwarzenegger TV Shows Drama Mystery Filming Locations Behind-The-Scenes
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
From Season 3 Premiere in the UK: New Episodes, Cliffhanger Ending and Season 4 RenewalThe long-awaited third season of the horror series 'From' is finally coming to the UK, premiering on Sky Max and NOW on January 14th. The premiere features a double episode and explores the shocking cliffhanger from season 2, where Tabitha seemingly died but reappeared in a hospital. The show's success has already led to a renewal for season 4.
Read more »
Jennifer Coolidge leaves fans feeling 'hoodwinked' after they discover her real voiceThe White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge has left fans feeling 'flabbergasted' after a clip of her speaking in her 'real voice' went viral.
Read more »
50 Questions With Will SharpeAs the Oscar-buzzed comedy A Real Pain is released in cinemas, the actor, writer and director (and The White Lotus star) takes AnOther’s 50 Questions
Read more »
Lady Gaga's Surprising Gift: A White Horse from Interscope RecordsThis article highlights the extravagant Christmas gifts celebrities give and receive, focusing on Lady Gaga's unexpected present of a white horse from Interscope Records.
Read more »
Teen MMA fighter gets perfect Christmas gift from Dana White with incredible UFC deal...
Read more »
Trump to restore White House Diet Coke button as Bidens move out in whirlwind Inauguration Day...Will Donald Trump's diet coke button make a comeback?
Read more »