The White Lotus drama didn’t just remain on screen — the season 3 cast members allegedly navigated some behind-the-scenes falling outs.
“It was like a cross between summer camp and Lord of the Flies but in a gilded cage,” Jason Isaacs shared in an interview with Vulture published on Monday, March 31. “It wasn’t a holiday. Some people got very close, there were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost.”
The actor, 61, who plays Timothy, didn’t name who was no longer close off screen.
“All the things you would imagine with a group of people unanchored from their home lives on the other side of the world, in the intense pressure cooker of the working environment with eye-melting heat and insects and late nights,” he continued. “They say in the show, ‘What happens in Thailand stays in Thailand.’ But there’s an off screen White Lotus as well, with fewer deaths but just as much drama.”
The outlet offered Isaacs the chance to elaborate, which he laughed off, adding, “Absolutely not. I became very close to some people and less close to others, but we still all had that experience together and there’s a certain level of discretion required.”
While reflecting on his own experience, Isaacs admitted he didn’t know whether the interactions affected the final content.
“When it comes to talking about what happens when you pretend to be another person, I’m slightly at a loss. I’ve done it for decades — and not just the job, but talking about it — and I think almost everything I’ve ever said has been complete bulls**t,” he explained, “I just try to be Tim Ratliff in his situation.”
Isaacs confirmed his close bond with his onscreen kids: Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola and Sarah Catherine Hook.
“Does the fact that I spent a lot of time particularly with Patrick, Sarah Catherine, and Sam, and became very close to them, make any difference? I don’t know,” he shared. “I’ve played opposite people I barely knew and we looked like we absolutely loved each other. I’ve played with people I know very well and the relationships don’t work. I can talk about the dynamic but whether it bled into the work or not, I have no idea.”
HBO’s hit series, which debuted in 2021, focuses on the guests and employees at a fictional resort as they experience a slew of personal ups and downs while on vacation. The anthology setup has allowed creator Mike White to cast a slew of A-list celebrities and season 3 was no different with Isaacs, Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Hook, Lalisa Manobal, Michelle Monaghan, Nivola, Lek Patravadi, Parker Posey, Schwarzenegger, Tayme Thapthimthong and Aimee Lee Wood.
The rest of The White Lotus cast has not referenced any potential offscreen drama. But some actors — including Goggins — hinted at the complicated process of getting in character with such messy and complex story lines.
“It took me 6 months and 7 episodes of this story to Smile. Patient. I knew this day was going to come the first time I read it. I knew getting there would be his own Mt Everest,” Goggins, 53, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, March 30. “Rick earned every inch of it. Serenity. Peace. The boogeyman has no closet to hide in if we open all the doors. One brick at a time we rebuild. We all have to start somewhere.”
New episodes of The White Lotus air on HBO Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
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