The White Lotus showrunner, Mike White, has reacted to composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer's decision to exit the series after their alleged creative clashes.
Days before the season 3 finale aired, the Emmy-winning composer revealed that he is not returning in season 4 and claimed that he had a creative feud with White over the show's score throughout the three seasons.
The White Lotus Showrunner Mike White Slams Composer for Quitting the Series
In a recent interview with Howard Stern, White was asked to weigh in on Tapia de Veer's reaction to leaving the series and claims that they had creative clashes when they worked together.
The showrunner did not hold back on his comments as he called the composer's "PR campaign" about his exit a "b*tch move."
"I honestly don’t know what happened, except now I’m reading his interviews because he decides to do some PR campaign about him leaving the show. I don’t think he respected me," White said.
"He wants people to know that he’s edgy and dark, and I’m, I don’t know, like I watch reality TV. We never really even fought. He says we feuded. I don’t think I ever had a fight with him — except for maybe some emails. It was basically me giving him notes. I don’t think he liked to go through the process of getting notes from me, or wanting revisions, because he didn’t respect me."
The showrunner continued, "I knew he wasn’t a team player and that he wanted to do it his way. I was thrown that he would go to The New York Times to sh*t on me and the show three days before the finale. It was kind of a b*tch move."
White also shared that he struggled working with Tapia de Veer when they worked in the first two seasons.
"By the time the third season came around, he’d won Emmys and he had his song go viral, he didn’t want to go through the process with me, he didn’t want to go to sessions," he added.
"He would always look at me with this contemptuous smirk on his face like he thought I was a chimp or something. He’s definitely making a big deal out of a creative difference."
What Happened in The White Lotus Season 3 Finale and What to Expect in Season 4?
The White Lotus season 3 aired its finale last Sunday night. As expected, it ended with major character deaths and a closure to the surviving characters that we've followed throughout the season.
In a Greek tragedy-style ending, it was Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) who met their demise after a tragic shootout where Jim (Scott Glenn) was gunned down by Rick.
Now that the third season is in the books, all eyes are now on the fourth season, which is expected to introduce a new cast of characters and a new location somewhere in the world.
So far, the details regarding season 4 are still under wraps as White and the producers have not done any location scouting for the next installment.
What do you think of White's comments about the composer's exit? Let us know in the comments!
Make sure to follow our official Facebook page for more news and explainer articles about your favorite films and TV shows!