[This story contains spoilers from The White Lotus season three finale, “Amor Fati”.]
The White Lotus is a shell game. And going into Sunday’s season three finale, all eyes were on Greg (Jon Gries) to have at least something to do with the teased carnage. But the only thing he dispatched was 1 percent of his fortune — giving Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) a very handsome direct deposit of $5 million in exchange for her and son Zion’s (Nicholas Duvernay) silence over the suspicious death (read: murder) of his late wife, Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge).
Viewers hoping for some comeuppance will just have to keep dreaming. Not only did Greg buy some silence, it looks like he got his wish for himself and girlfriend Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon). After she unsuccessfully pitched Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) on a cuckholding three-way with oedipal undertones in episode seven, a suitable partner seemed to be selected just before the credits rolled on the season finale.
Greg isn’t exactly flush with dialogue, but he’s been around the longest by far — first courting Coolidge’s character in season one, orchestrating her death in season two and going on the defense in season three. Ahead of the finale, Gries spoke at length with The Hollywood Reporter for an exclusive oral history, got into the evolution of his once-doomed character and why Greg and Chloe might be the show’s perfect couple.
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It’s always a pleasure and a horror to see you show up on this series.
It’s like life! There’s that balance — the dark and the light. I don’t know who’s darker in this one, though. That’s the only thing. I come with a pedigree of darkness, but there’s a lot of darkness being introduced from all levels.
Yes, at least you didn’t try to kill off your entire family. All of your cast members and producers have spoken about how difficult it was to keep your return a secret. How is it for you?
I am not one who likes to lie. Having to build a narrative of what to tell my friends was hard. I’ve had people call me and go, “Why would you not tell me?” I did it across the board! But the response is, “But me? We’re really close!” I couldn’t keep count of everybody that I told and who I didn’t tell, so I just didn’t tell anybody. I kept it shut.
What was the lie?
I said I was going to the Philippines to film a new TV show for a European network. I kept saying, “They’re from Spain!” (Laughs) When I was a little kid, I saw this Steve McQueen called The Sand Pebbles. I don’t know why it came to me, but I said, “Yeah, it’s a period piece. based on that movie.” I just built it from there. I told everyone I was playing one of the officers.
This is very specific.
It just got worse and worse and worse and worse. My then-girlfriend, now wife, works in fashion. One of her associates, he’s Filipino, and we told him this story. Then he was calling, like, “Have you tried this place in the Philippines? You have to eat this and go there. What did you think of this? We started avoiding him, because everything was a ruse and it was catching up with us.
Maybe you are good at lying?
I kind of entered the mind of a criminal — as much as Greg is a criminal. I kind of employed some of the same tactics of creating a narrative that’s not at all true. It was actually really good practice in getting back into the character.
You’re now the most consistent through line to this series. What’s that journey been like? Didn’t you think you were dying the first season?
Originally, Mike told me that when he first wrote season one, the body and the bag was going to be mine. He just decided to change it midstream, because he felt like that would be too predictable. It’s interesting when you hear the story now, because it’s more or less become the hook of the show. The elephant in the room is always “Who’s going to die?”
You did play it rather sickly in that first season, like some consumptive character in a Dickens adaptation. It was going well for Greg.
No, not at all. That was a lot of the inspiration behind my characterization, that he was this guy living life minute by minute. His whole attitude about everything is, “I’m not going to sweat anything. I’m just going to have a good time.” No matter how deep Tanya’s drama would go, it was as if he had found that elevated kind of spirituality… enjoy life while you’re here, because it’s fleeting.
Of course, there’s a 180-degree turn in season two. When did you find out about that?
Mike just texted me, “Hey, I’m writing season two and I just want to know are you available and willing? I won’t write for you if you’re not going to be around.” I go, “Are you kidding? I’m there.” He said, “OK, it’s going to be Sicily in March. P.S. Greg is diabolical.” That was it, and that was my new version of the character. Before I even read the script, I started building my own history.
And there’s still this whole backstory with Quentin (Tom Hollander, star of season two) that we’ll probably never get.
I felt like Greg’s relationship with Quentin was one where Greg always felt like Quentin had such a silver spoon in his mouth that, no matter what kind of plan you they had, he could never tell if he was going to pull it off properly,. He’s the perennial screw up. Only Quentin could have been blessed with his family fortune and lose it all. So in my mind, Quentin was just always doing things wrong. All he had to do was push her in the water, but then there has to be a gun on the boat.
As for the backstory you created, I’m guessing it did not include Greg’s oedipal kinks as outlined by Charlotte’s character in episode seven of season three.
No, that part of it was a surprise. A big surprise. (Laughs) At the same time, I felt that this agreement with Chloe is one where they both can satisfy their, let’s just say, peculiar sexual tastes — however you want to put it without judging it. It’s just like, that’s their thing. They are a good team. And I really do feel like Greg has found, for better or for worse, a good soulmate… but not one out of love. I don’t think he is capable of love. I don’t even think that’s in his lexicon.
If the season two revelation was that Greg was diabolical, what was the conversation like about how he’d be in season three?
Even at the end of season two, I thought maybe Greg wasn’t intending to kill Tanya. People would say, “You killed her!” And I was like, “I wasn’t even there!” I’d created all kinds of confusing scenarios in my head. So, early in season three, before I’d shot anything, I walked up to Mike and said, “Would you say Greg is a psychopath?” He just said, “Psychopath!” and walked away. I needed that information to understand where my mind was going. I needed that little push. That’s where it all transformed for me in that one moment.
So much of the dialogue around this show is about the unique environment it creates for the actors. As the veteran, did you function as an onset therapist?
No, but I’ve been reluctantly dubbed “the mayor” a couple of times. A couple of times, performers sought me out — and especially in the beginning, before we started working every day. People get nervous, especially when a show is so popular. So they ask questions about the process. I’m like, “It’s as easy as can be. Just do your thing and be ready. You’re here for a reason.” Mike has an incredible eye for casting.
Tell me about acting opposite Natasha Rothwell this season.
I didn’t get an opportunity to work with her that much in season one. So, being a fanboy, what a joy to be able to have scenes with her. There is kind of a perfect awkwardness whenever we work. There are moments where, as an actor, you go, “Gosh, is this my character? Is this me?” Because I can can sense that she’s never going to relax, never going to just go with the flow, never going to buy anything I’m going to tell her. It’s like we both have two left feet when we’re in the scenes together — and I like it. I like that it’s never comfortable.
Charlotte says you’re the most likely of all the cast to be back in season four. What do you think of that?
Well, you never know. She’s cagey. She’s from Montreal. But there’s no trying to predict anything Mike White does. I never presumed I’d be in season two. Same for season three. Everything he does has an element of surprise to it. Yes, I would love to come back. But does the book on Greg seem like it’s complete? I can’t tell you.
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White Lotus season two is now streaming on Max. Head here for all of THR’s season three interviews and covearge, including our uncensored oral history with White and the cast and breakdown of the finale.
Read the full article here
