‘The White Lotus’ Stars On Their Season 1 “Roller Coaster Ride” & What They Know About Season 2 — Contenders TV
deadline.comWhen Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Sydney Sweeney and Alexandra Daddario were approached for The White Lotus, they jumped at the opportunity to work with Mike White on location in Hawaii, and to explore all facets of their richly drawn characters.“It’s an actor’s dream to have [this kind of] roller coaster ride with a character,” Bartlett told Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro today at Contenders Television. “It was a dream dropped in my lap, really.”Contenders TV: Deadline’s Complete CoverageThe first season of the HBO dark comedy created, directed and written by White is set in a tropical Hawaiian resort, following the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week.
Bartlett plays resort manager Armond, with Britton as vacationing CFO Nicole Mossbacher, Sweeney as her sardonic daughter Olivia, and Daddario as Rachel, a journalist whose recent marriage to real estate agent Shane (Jake Lacy) is already falling apart.From the perspective of Britton and Daddario, part of what made the series so compelling was White’s gift for observing human behavior. “Mike, I feel, finds joy in the disdain he has for human nature,” said Daddario. “I just think it translates in this amazing way because he loves human beings, but sees how awful and flawed they are at the same time, and it’s a really interesting combination.”Sweeney said that White “perfectly” brought every character’s voice to life, such that no ad-libbing on set was necessary. “The writing was so perfect for every single character,” she added, “as if he has lived that.”Elevating White’s work, of course, was the show’s set of stellar performances.
Read more on deadline.com