Cliff Notes – The White Lotus star reveals ‘intense’ cast drama during season 3 filming
- Jason Isaacs described the filming environment of The White Lotus as akin to “Lord of the Flies in a gilded cage,” highlighting the intense pressures and dynamics among the cast.
- Despite the picturesque setting in Thailand, Isaacs noted that the experience was not a holiday, with friendships formed and lost under the strain of long hours and challenging conditions.
- The actor faced backlash for comments regarding a double standard in discussions about nudity in film, later clarifying his remarks and acknowledging the historical exploitation of women in cinema.
The White Lotus star reveals ‘intense’ cast drama during season 3 filming
Jason Isaacs has opened up about filming the White Lotus, comparing it to Lord of the Flies ‘in a gilded cage’.
The Harry Potter actor is currently starring as troubled Tim Ratliff in the third season of Mike White’s gripping HBO drama, leading a star-studded cast alongside Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood.
While the gang seemed to be having a blast in Thailand, with pictures of their sunny exploits filling up our Instagram timelines, the 61-year-old teased that it was very different behind the scenes.
Speaking to Vulture ahead of Sunday’s finale, the Lucius Malfoy icon said of the cast dynamic: ‘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.
‘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.
‘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.’
When asked if he wanted to share any of the drama, he laughed: ‘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.’
Jason is currently starring as dysfunctional dad-of-three Tim, as he took his family – wife Victoria Ratliffe (Parker), sons Saxon (Patrick) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola), and daughter Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) to Thailand for a relaxing getaway.
However, his trip to the White Lotus got off to a rocky start when he was contacted by a journalist asking questions about his shady business endeavors.
The actor previously made headlines after his response to questions regarding one of the patriarch’s most shocking scenes from the beginning of the season – when he accidentally flashed his penis in front of his family.
Jason was met with intense speculation over his use of a prosthetic penis as he bared all, and slammed the scrutiny as a ‘double standard’.
‘I’ll tell you why, because the best actress this year is Mikey Madison at the Oscars and I don’t see anyone discussing her vulva, which is on television all the time and I’m not talking about Swedish cars,’ he told Gayle King on CBS Mornings.
‘I think it’s interesting that there’s a double standard for men, but when women are naked, Margaret Qualley in The Substance, no one would dream of talking to her about her genitalia or her nipples or any of those things.
‘So, it’s odd that there’s a double standard,’ he suggested.
After facing a huge backlash over the remarks, he admitted that he ‘said the wrong words’ in a chat with Variety, conceding that he was ‘tired’ after taking on ‘so many interviews’.
‘I said the wrong words in the wrong way. I used the phrase “double standard,” which I didn’t mean at all. There is a [different] double standard — women have been monstrously exploited and men haven’t,’ he vowed.
‘I absolutely should not have mentioned those two actresses, whom I respect enormously. Mikey Madison I’m a massive fan of.
‘My point wasn’t that men have had a harder time than women — that would be absurd. Women have had a monstrous time on camera forever, and I hope to God that is changing.
‘Women have been exploited forever in cinema and made to be gratuitously naked and asked totally inappropriate questions.’
‘I had been asked so many times in the same day by journalists, “Are you wearing a prosthetic?” Which means, “Have I seen your actual penis? It’s very important for me to know if I’ve seen your penis,” It just strikes me as a bit weird and slightly obsessive,’ Jason added.
‘I thought I could have fun batting it off, but I batted it off very poorly.’
The White Lotus is available to stream on Now in the UK and HBO in the US.