Jason Isaacs Lied to ‘The White Lotus’ Creator During Audition
Jason Isaacs, the actor known for playing the long, blonde-wig-wearing Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter to Dr. Hunter Aloysius ‘Hap’ Percy in Netflix’s The OA, has kept us on our toes wondering which project he’ll take on next. Isaacs’ latest role is that of Timothy Ratliff on The White Lotus, where he admitted to telling a little fib during his audition.
Jason Isaacs’ White Lie
Jason Isaacs decided to take a page out of his characters’ playbook when he found himself auditioning for Mike White, the creator of the hit HBO series. In an interview with People, he said, “You’re the first person I’ve ever said this to. I lied to Mike and Dave and told them I was a huge fan.”
Of course, he changed that after the audition and admitted that he binge-watched the first two seasons. He said, “The only reason I hadn’t watched it is my family had started without me. They loved it like crazy, and season 2 came on and they said, ‘Watch it,’ and I went, ’I want to see season 1,’ so I just hadn’t caught up.”
After watching all of the episodes in “a day and a half” he said he realized “why people had made such a fuss.” After binge-watching seasons 1 and 2, he said he was a fan, “but by then I think I had the job.”
The White Lotus Season 3
The first season of The White Lotus was set in Hawaii, the second season in Sicily, the third season is set in Thailand. Similar to the first two seasons, season 3 also features dark undertones of the guests and hotel employees’ social dysfunctions, and of course, a dead body. This season also touches on spirituality and religion. This season is also the longest one with eight episodes, in contrast to season 1’s six episodes and season 2’s seven episodes.
The season features an ensemble cast aside from Isaacs. Parker Posey plays Victoria Ratliff, Timothy’s wife and mother to Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola). Ke Huy Quan had a surprise voice cameo as Kenny Nguyen, a businessman who once worked with Timothy on a shady deal.
Three friends vacationed in the same hotel together with the Ratliffs. Leslie Bibb is Kate Bohr, a country club wife who was joined by Carrie Coon as Laurie Duffy, a lawyer and recent divorcée, and Michelle Monaghan as Jaclyn Lemon, a TV actress who said the memorable line “What happens in Thailand, stays in Thailand” in the trailer. Walter Goggins also joined the cast as Rick Hatchett, who is travelling with his much younger girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood). He seemed to be looking for someone and is the reason why he went to Thailand.
Lalisa Manobal of the K-pop group BLACKPINK is also part of the cast as hotel employee together with Natasha Rothwell (who reprises her role from season 1) and Tayme Thapthimthong. Lek Patravadi plays Sritala Hollinger as one of the owners of the White Lotus. Jon Gries also reprised his role from seasons 1 and 2 as Greg Hunt.
The White Lotus season 3 is now available to stream on HBO Max.
