The White Lotus season 3 is set to conclude its run this coming Sunday night, and it is expected to feature more twists and turns surrounding the main characters in their escapade around Thailand, as well as resolutions on the storylines and reveal who gets killed.
We've also heard a lot of stories about the filming of the season last year in Thailand, which lasted for seven months, that are as dramatic and fun as the show itself.
Here are the shocking behind-the-scenes stories that we've heard from the making of The White Lotus season 3.
Everyone Auditioned for the Roles
Despite having veteran actors and a global superstar in its cast, every actor who starred in the season auditioned for the coveted roles.
"Everyone auditions for The White Lotus," star Carrie Coon said in an interview. "These roles are highly coveted by all of our friends, so you want to show up and do a good job. You want people to say, 'I’m glad it was you.' There’s a lot of pressure."
Even Lisa of Blackpink was not exempted, as she also had to send an audition tape. "I’ve been performing [in Blackpink] for a long time, and this opportunity came right when I was trying to find a new challenge. They sent over the script, and I sent a tape back," she said.
The only cast member who did not need to undergo an audition was Natasha Rothwell, since she reprised her role from the first season.
Filming the 'Uncomfortable' Incest Kiss Was 'Fun'
One of the biggest highlights of season 3 so far is the incest kissing scene between brothers Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola).
While the scene might be "uncomfortable," Schwarzenegger said in an interview that the filming experience was still "fun" due to the boundaries that it pushed.
"I’m playing a character. When you join The White Lotus, you know Mike is going to push boundaries. That’s why he’s a genius," he explained.
"As an actor, playing the most uncomfortable scenes is the most fun because they are the biggest challenge. I’m not saying that scene was the most fun, but it’s fun to push yourself and put yourself in uncomfortable positions because then you learn."
The two actors also managed to form a bond throughout filming, which is why they didn't have any difficulty doing the shocking scene.
'Friendships Were Lost' During Filming
While filming the season in Thailand for seven months was mostly pleasant and somewhat fun, Jason Isaacs shared in an interview that there were "friendships that were lost."
"It was like a cross between summer camp and Lord of the Flies but in a gilded cage. It wasn’t a holiday. Some people got very close, there were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost," he said.
"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.
Isaacs 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 actor declined to share what kind of drama happened during filming. "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," he said.
Casting Changes for Chloe
French-Canadian actress Charlotte Le Bon has been receiving a lot of praise for her performance as Chloe throughout the season. However, she was not the original choice for the role.
Francesca Corney was originally tapped to play Chloe, but she was recast several weeks into filming and was replaced by Le Bon.
"Had we seen people in person for these roles, we would’ve realized the original Chloe was quite petite and just going to play too young. The part was reconceived for Charlotte," casting director Meredith Tucker explained.
Le Bon said, "Coming in after [a month and a half] when everybody knows each other and their characters and they’re all really close was really hard. Just being part of The White Lotus is already stressful, so I was crying a lot that first week."
Creative Differences Between Mike White and the Composer
Composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer has been involved in the series from the very beginning. Unfortunately, the third season is set to be his last as he confirmed that he won't be returning in season 4.
He revealed that he had creative differences with showrunner Mike White, and it led to his decision to quit the series after the third season.
"I texted the producer and I told him that it would be great to, at some point, give them the longer version with the ooh-loo-loo-loos, because people will explode if they realize that it was going there anyway," the composer said.
"He thought it was a good idea. But then Mike cut that — he wasn’t happy about that. I mean, at that point, we already had our last fight forever, I think. So he was just saying no to anything."
Tapia de Veer added, "I announced to the team a few months ago that I was not coming back, that I was leaving. I didn’t tell Mike for various reasons; I wanted to tell him just at the end for the shock and whatever. Except I told the whole editorial team and music editor and producer and all that, but I didn’t think that they were going to tell him. At some point he heard about that."
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