Latest news with #Thailand-set
Business Insider
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Walton Goggins really does not want to talk about his 'White Lotus' costar Aimee Lou Wood
Walton Goggins repeatedly refused to answer questions about the status of his friendship with Aimee Lou Wood in a recently published interview. However, rather than putting to bed the rumors of the speculated rift between the " White Lotus" costars, Goggins's terse responses have fueled curiosity about what actually occurred between the actors. In the Thailand-set third season of the critically acclaimed HBO series, Goggins, 53, played Rick, the love interest of 31-year-old Wood's character, Chelsea. The mismatched lovers died in the explosive season finale, which aired on April 7. Shortly after, rumors of a falling out between the two actors began circulating. When asked during an interview with the Times of London about whether he and Wood had indeed fallen out, Goggins responded: "I'm not gonna have that conversation." Goggins was being interviewed to promote his latest film, "The Uninvited," which was written and directed by his wife of 13 years, Nadia Conners. Throughout the conversation with Ed Potton, the journalist for the Times, Goggins sidestepped several questions about his British "White Lotus" costar. The article said two publicists present intervened after Potton asked the first question related to Goggins's professional and personal relationship with Wood. The first told Potton: "We're not going there, thank you." The other said: "Next question." Later, the interviewer brought up Goggins's forthcoming appearance on "Saturday Night Live" and the NBC show's recent "White Potus" parody sketch, which poked fun at Trump and his inner circle, but also uncharitably mocked Wood's appearance and accent. The article said that Goggins wouldn't discuss the topic and didn't respond when asked whether audiences could see him and Wood reunite on the "SNL" sound stage when he hosts the show on May 10. (The interviewer referenced comments from CNN journalist Elizabeth Wagmeister, who said that "there is something professionally that they are doing in the coming weeks together.") At that point, one of the publicists interjected again to steer the conversation back to Goggins's movie. When the interviewer faltered on a question, Goggins acknowledged that the movie was the thing he was "least interested in." The interviewer attempted to ask a question about Wood again. Without specifying the nature of the question, the article states that Goggins responded: "There is no conversation to be had about that. Sharing politics on social media — it's in a vacuum." Before the interview concluded, the interviewer brought up Wood again — seemingly for the fourth time. "What the f***, Ed!" Goggins said. "Come on buddy. Wow." "We're going to end it there," one of the publicists said, wrapping up the interview. Goggins did speak about Wood once during the interview while discussing his character arc on "The White Lotus." He said his character was "incapable of seeing the love that he needed was right there in front of him," while Wood, as Chelsea, "is just a beautiful light in the world and was capable of conveying that." Fans of the show began suspecting that the two stars had fallen out after noticing that they had stopped following each other on Instagram sometime between filming together in Thailand and the airdate of the season three finale. Their costar, Jason Isaacs said there were "tensions and difficulties" on the set of the show in an interview with the Guardian. "There were alliances that formed and broke, romances that formed and broke, friendships that formed and broke," he said in February. In a March interview with The Guardian, Wood herself described working on the show as similar to "a social experiment." Representatives for Goggins and Wood did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider outside regular working hours.
Morocco World
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
HBO's The White Lotus Might Be Heading to Morocco
Marrakech – Just when we thought we were done clutching our pearls over wealthy meltdowns in paradise, The White Lotus has us wondering: where will the next murder mystery unfold? With Season 3 wrapping up its Thailand-set saga on April 6, fans are already packing their imaginary bags and playing travel agent for Mike White. And if you ask us? Our money's on Morocco. Yes, that's right! The Daily Mail has reported that Morocco — more specifically the opulent Four Seasons Resort Marrakec — is emerging as a frontrunner. And when you hear the description, it's hard not to picture a fresh season of drama brewing under the North African sun. 'The five-star resort occupying 40 acres in the heart of the city's medina – its ancient market – is perfect,' according to one source. 'It has Moorish gardens, the souk, the Yves Saint Laurent gardens nearby and spas and a kasbah with views of the Atlas Mountains. What's not to love?' What's not to love indeed? Between the intoxicating scents of orange blossom, the whisper of gossip behind carved cedar doors, and the promise of just one more dead body, Morocco might be the most thrilling twist yet. Creator Mike White has already hinted that he's looking to break free from the coastal clichés of past seasons. 'For the fourth season, I want to get a little bit out of the crashing waves of rocks vernacular, but there's always more room for more murders at The White Lotus hotels,' he told the website Deadline. And that one quote is enough to get fans pulling up Google Earth. Though Morocco's looking like a serious contender, the show isn't done flirting with options just yet. Tanzania has also entered the chat, specifically the Four Seasons in the Serengeti National Park — where $1,000-a-night glamping and safari views might offer a very different kind of tension. 'Mike loves the idea of going to Africa. He was talking about Egypt and a safari. There are several possible locations under consideration,' an HBO source revealed. Still, there's something about Marrakech — the layers, the contrasts, the potential for both spiritual awakenings and social breakdowns — that screams White Lotus. After all, what better place to watch the rich unravel than a city that's spent centuries mastering the art of seduction, illusion, and quiet observation? So as we wait for HBO to drop a pin on the next location, we'll just say this: if Season 4 ends up in Morocco, don't be surprised if the real mystery is how they'll ever top it. Tags: HBOMarrakechMoroccoSeries
CNN
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Can't get enough ‘White Lotus'? Here's other places to catch your favorite Season 3 stars
OK. You've had some time to digest that insane season finale of 'The White Lotus,' and you're already itching for another stay at the crazy hotel chain… but Season 4 is still a long way off. What to do?! While we wait for our next 'White Lotus' vacation, here's a list of some standout titles from many of the actors who brought the Thailand-set Season 3 to life. While most Parker Posey fans know and love her from mid-90s gems 'Dazed and Confused' and 'Party Girl,' the always It-girl truly shined brightest in later-90s gem 'The House of Yes,' in which she played a Jackie O-obsessed twin who has an incestuous relationship with her brother (are we sensing a theme?). Another great Posey moment among many came in 2000's 'Best in Show,' one of the most hilarious Christopher Guest ensemble pieces, in which she appeared alongside previous White Lotus patron Jennifer Coolidge. One of Coon's most beloved performances came in the HBO drama 'The Leftovers,' costarring Justin Theroux, which ran from 2014 to 2017. Coon was also behind one of the infamous baddies in 2018's 'Avengers: Infinity War,' a role she did not reprise in the following year's concluding 'Endgame' due to a salary dispute (this, according to her husband, revered Broadway playwright and actor Tracy Letts). For those still somehow not aware, Lalisa Manobal – the first-time actress behind 'White Lotus' wellness mentor Mook – also goes by the moniker Lisa and is a member of K-pop supergroup BLACKPINK, as well as an uber-popular solo artist. 'She came in and she did the best job. She was great right out the gate and also is just a lovely person,' 'White Lotus' creator Mike White said in an interview with Jim Halterman ahead of Season 3. 'It was easy for me as a director to communicate with her and she just had a lot of colors in her acting.' Standout music videos from Lisa include 'Rockstar,' 'Born Again' featuring Doja Cat and Raye, and BLACKPINK's 'Kill This Love.' Winner of two Academy Awards, including best international feature, this chilling account of bucolic life alongside the horrors of the Holocaust featured Friedel in the terrifying lead role as Rudolf Höss, a commandant who bifurcates his life between leading his household and overseeing the murder of thousands. Compared to bumbling Fabian at the White Lotus hotel, it's night and day. While most everyone knows Isaacs as one Lucius Malfoy from the 'Harry Potter' films, the British actor has enjoyed prominent roles in several other vehicles, including Showtime series 'Brotherhood,' Netflix's eerily engrossing 'The OA,' and '90s sci-fi/horror masterpiece 'Event Horizon.' Rothwell first broke out by playing Issa Rae's scene-stealing bff Kelly in 'Insecure,' and later in her star turn in, 'How to Die Alone.' In the Hulu series, Rothwell played Melissa, an airport employee who just can't seem to catch a break and decides to change her life after narrowly averting a tragedy (those plot points sound very much like they could apply to Belinda as well). In an interview with CNN last year, Rothwell described the character as 'the version of me that I didn't really give grace to.' While everyone loved to hate – or be afraid of – Gries' recurring character Greg/Gary this season, the actor is also known for another notable role, as Uncle Rico in 2004 indie treasure 'Napoleon Dynamite.' It turns out, that film figured in how Gries learned he landed his 'Lotus' role. 'The way I found out that I got the job was Jared Hess – the director and cowriter of 'Napoleon Dynamite' – texted me and said, 'Dude, Mike White just wrote me and said he hired Uncle Rico!'' Gries remarked during his recent interview with CNN (Hess had previously collaborated with White on the 2006 movie 'Nacho Libre' as well as 2009's 'Gentlemen Broncos'). Goggins is having a year. In addition to his plum role in 'Lotus,' he's been featured in a Super Bowl ad, been seen water-skiing naked in 'The Righteous Gemstones' and plays the noseless Ghoul in post-apocalyptic nuclear series 'Fallout,' based on the video game, which is set for a second season. And if that wasn't enough, you can also fall asleep to the sound of Goggins' voice thanks to a new Sleep Story. Then there's Goggins' onscreen love interest Chelsea, a character who became beloved by 'White Lotus' viewers. One of the many reasons for this adulation? Her previous portrayal of Aimee Gibbs on the UK series 'Sex Education,' which concluded after four seasons in 2023. While also an MCU alum like her onscreen frenemy Carrie Coon – Bibb played Christine Everhart in the 'Iron Man' movies – eagle-eyed viewers know and love her from the teen dramedy series 'Popular,' which was co-created by Ryan Murphy and ran on the WB from 1999 to 2001. More recent work from Bibb includes another high society takedown, 'Palm Royale' opposite Kristen Wiig on Apple TV+. While viewers are still talking about his unforgettable 'White Lotus' monologue, Rockwell's repertoire includes his Oscar-winning supporting turn opposite Frances McDormand in 2017's 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.' Also worth watching are Rockwell's performances in 2002's 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,' and his uproarious portrayal of a seemingly expendable bit player named Guy in the 1999 'Star Trek' spoof 'Galaxy Quest.'
CNN
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Can't get enough ‘White Lotus'? Here's other places to catch your favorite Season 3 stars
OK. You've had some time to digest that insane season finale of 'The White Lotus,' and you're already itching for another stay at the crazy hotel chain… but Season 4 is still a long way off. What to do?! While we wait for our next 'White Lotus' vacation, here's a list of some standout titles from many of the actors who brought the Thailand-set Season 3 to life. While most Parker Posey fans know and love her from mid-90s gems 'Dazed and Confused' and 'Party Girl,' the always It-girl truly shined brightest in later-90s gem 'The House of Yes,' in which she played a Jackie O-obsessed twin who has an incestuous relationship with her brother (are we sensing a theme?). Another great Posey moment among many came in 2000's 'Best in Show,' one of the most hilarious Christopher Guest ensemble pieces, in which she appeared alongside previous White Lotus patron Jennifer Coolidge. One of Coon's most beloved performances came in the HBO drama 'The Leftovers,' costarring Justin Theroux, which ran from 2014 to 2017. Coon was also behind one of the infamous baddies in 2018's 'Avengers: Infinity War,' a role she did not reprise in the following year's concluding 'Endgame' due to a salary dispute (this, according to her husband, revered Broadway playwright and actor Tracy Letts). For those still somehow not aware, Lalisa Manobal – the first-time actress behind 'White Lotus' wellness mentor Mook – also goes by the moniker Lisa and is a member of K-pop supergroup BLACKPINK, as well as an uber-popular solo artist. 'She came in and she did the best job. She was great right out the gate and also is just a lovely person,' 'White Lotus' creator Mike White said in an interview with Jim Halterman ahead of Season 3. 'It was easy for me as a director to communicate with her and she just had a lot of colors in her acting.' Standout music videos from Lisa include 'Rockstar,' 'Born Again' featuring Doja Cat and Raye, and BLACKPINK's 'Kill This Love.' Winner of two Academy Awards, including best international feature, this chilling account of bucolic life alongside the horrors of the Holocaust featured Friedel in the terrifying lead role as Rudolf Höss, a commandant who bifurcates his life between leading his household and overseeing the murder of thousands. Compared to bumbling Fabian at the White Lotus hotel, it's night and day. While most everyone knows Isaacs as one Lucius Malfoy from the 'Harry Potter' films, the British actor has enjoyed prominent roles in several other vehicles, including Showtime series 'Brotherhood,' Netflix's eerily engrossing 'The OA,' and '90s sci-fi/horror masterpiece 'Event Horizon.' Rothwell first broke out by playing Issa Rae's scene-stealing bff Kelly in 'Insecure,' and later in her star turn in, 'How to Die Alone.' In the Hulu series, Rothwell played Melissa, an airport employee who just can't seem to catch a break and decides to change her life after narrowly averting a tragedy (those plot points sound very much like they could apply to Belinda as well). In an interview with CNN last year, Rothwell described the character as 'the version of me that I didn't really give grace to.' While everyone loved to hate – or be afraid of – Gries' recurring character Greg/Gary this season, the actor is also known for another notable role, as Uncle Rico in 2004 indie treasure 'Napoleon Dynamite.' It turns out, that film figured in how Gries learned he landed his 'Lotus' role. 'The way I found out that I got the job was Jared Hess – the director and cowriter of 'Napoleon Dynamite' – texted me and said, 'Dude, Mike White just wrote me and said he hired Uncle Rico!'' Gries remarked during his recent interview with CNN (Hess had previously collaborated with White on the 2006 movie 'Nacho Libre' as well as 2009's 'Gentlemen Broncos'). Goggins is having a year. In addition to his plum role in 'Lotus,' he's been featured in a Super Bowl ad, been seen water-skiing naked in 'The Righteous Gemstones' and plays the noseless Ghoul in post-apocalyptic nuclear series 'Fallout,' based on the video game, which is set for a second season. And if that wasn't enough, you can also fall asleep to the sound of Goggins' voice thanks to a new Sleep Story. Then there's Goggins' onscreen love interest Chelsea, a character who became beloved by 'White Lotus' viewers. One of the many reasons for this adulation? Her previous portrayal of Aimee Gibbs on the UK series 'Sex Education,' which concluded after four seasons in 2023. While also an MCU alum like her onscreen frenemy Carrie Coon – Bibb played Christine Everhart in the 'Iron Man' movies – eagle-eyed viewers know and love her from the teen dramedy series 'Popular,' which was co-created by Ryan Murphy and ran on the WB from 1999 to 2001. More recent work from Bibb includes another high society takedown, 'Palm Royale' opposite Kristen Wiig on Apple TV+. While viewers are still talking about his unforgettable 'White Lotus' monologue, Rockwell's repertoire includes his Oscar-winning supporting turn opposite Frances McDormand in 2017's 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.' Also worth watching are Rockwell's performances in 2002's 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,' and his uproarious portrayal of a seemingly expendable bit player named Guy in the 1999 'Star Trek' spoof 'Galaxy Quest.'
The National
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
The White Lotus season 3 spoiler review: Ending explained through Buddhist philosophy
What exactly is The White Lotus about? It's a question that has echoed across the internet since the first episode premiered in the summer of 2021. The anthology show, created by Mike White, is hard to classify. Each season is set at a branch of the fictional White Lotus resort, following both the fabulously wealthy guests and working-class staff, each striving for a better life in different ways. The Thailand-set season three, which concluded on Sunday, is perhaps the most divisive yet, with some viewers doubting the season has anything to say at all. But as the stories wrapped up, for better or for worse, it became clear what this season's message has been all along. The self can be a prison, if we let it. If season three is about anything in particular, it's that basic truth – an idea that has its roots in Buddhism. Each of The White Lotus characters is trapped in the identity they've crafted for themselves. They are bound by their egos, by their expectations and traumas. Only those who escape the self are able to reach their happy ending; their enlightenment. As the American Buddhist psychotherapist Mark Epstein writes in his book The Trauma of Everyday Life: 'The picture we present to ourselves of who we think we ought to be obscures who we really are.' This plays out primarily in the journeys of the complementary male leads of the season: the Southern patriarch Tim Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) and the tortured loner Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins). Tim is a pillar of is community, a successful businessman and reliable provider for his family. When his shady dealings cause him to lose everything, he debates ending his own life as well as the lives of his family members who cannot imagine themselves outside of their privileged circumstances. Rick is an outcast both by choice and by default, overcome by the traumas that resulted from his having grown up without a father. He has come to Thailand in a quest for vengeance to find the man who, his mother told him, killed his father on her deathbed. In the end, both of them are presented with a choice between ego death and literal death. Tim nearly chooses the latter, presenting himself and his family members with poisoned cocktails, only to change his mind at the final moment. He chooses instead to let his ego die, tell his family the truth and have faith that they will get through it together. Rick, on the other hand, tragically chooses literal death, after first choosing ego death. In his initial confrontation in episode seven with Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn), the man who he was told killed his father, he realises just how unfulfilling murdering him would be, and returns to the arms of his loving girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood). But when Jim returns, and insults both his dead mother and father's memories, telling him that his father was a bad man and his absence from his life was no great loss, Rick is overcome with rage. And after failing to find guidance from his spiritual counsellor, Rick shoots and kills Jim. What follows for Rick echoes the classic musical Sweeney Todd, in which the titular character kills the wife he thought was long dead in an attempt to avenge her. Rick, like Sweeney, is a man unable to live in the present because his traumas have become his eternal present. Moments after killing Jim, Sritala, the wife of Jim and owner of the resort, reveals that Jim was Rick's father all along. Though he realises the error of his choice, he is now bound to it, engaging in a shoot-out with the security guards that inadvertently kills Chelsea. And as he attempts to take Chelsea to get help, he is shot and killed. They fall into the pond and appear as a yin and yang, together forever but trapped to the fate they manifested for themselves. And it all could have been avoided had Jim not chosen his own ego and traumas. If he had chosen a different path, admitting to Rick that he was his father, forgiving himself for his past mistakes and attempting to forge a better future with his long-lost kin, he could have achieved happiness. Instead, he signed his own death warrant. While it may not play out as dramatically, each of the other lead characters also have their stories resolve depending on how they confront their own ego. Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola), the youngest son of Tim and Victoria (Parker Posey), has lived his life as a people pleaser, emulating the paths of those around him and strictly adhering to their expectations of him. Lochlan's ego death is perhaps the most literal, as he inadvertently takes the poison that his father had intended for the rest of the family. He falls unconscious and has a vision of God, and awakens in his father's arms a changed man. Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger), his older brother, accepts that his shallow pursuits of carnal interests, and defining himself by the perceived success of his father, are both empty, opening himself up to an egoless future. Laurie Duffy (Carrie Coon), a corporate lawyer and recent divorcee on holiday with her two friends Kate (Leslie Bibb) and Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), finds herself in existential crisis when she realises the selves that she'd defined herself by – her career and her former relationship – were failures. In the end, she lets go of who she was and embraces the present, no longer a slave to the jealousy she had for her more successful friends. The season even contains several tragedies that appear, upon first glance, to be happy endings – particularly the staff of the hotel who yearn for better lives closer to those of the guests and owners. Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell), an American spa manager who also appeared in the show's first season set in Hawaii, dreams of being a rich woman like Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), a lead character of the show's first two seasons. Tanya and she planned to open a spa together, but season one ended with Tanya abandoning Belinda and their plan, coldly saying her circumstances have changed. In season three, she discovers Tanya's murderer living near the Thailand resort, and is presented with a choice in how to handle it. She can accept the murderer's bribe and become the rich woman she always yearned to be, or she can do the right thing and turn him in, and then open a more humble spa with Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul), a Thai wellness expert and love interest. In the end, she chooses to take the money, abandoning Pornchai in the same manner that Tanya once abandoned her. In doing so, she has chosen to be a villain – defining herself as a 'rich woman' – and loses out on love and enlightenment in the process. She chose ego – the person she believes 'ought to be'. And as Buddhism teaches, all desire is suffering – and only suffering is to follow. Security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) suffers a similar fate. He is presented with the choice between his better self, choosing Buddhism and non-violence, and the ambitious, violent man that his love interest Mook (Lalisa Manobal) wishes him to be. At the demand of Sritala, he shoots and kills Rick, securing the bodyguard job that he had wanted, happily driving off into the sunset as another villain. Ultimately, while identity is unavoidable, it's about knowing where the limits lie that is key to a true happy ending. Robert Thurman, a professor of religion at Columbia, once echoed the teachings of a Mongolian Buddhist lama he met in suburban New Jersey in the early 1960s: 'It's not that you're not real. We all think we're real, and that's not wrong. You are real. But you think you're really real, you exaggerate it.' Philosophically, this was the show's most ambitious season yet. And while parts are deliberately unsatisfying, this is still one of the most compelling and rewarding shows on television. Now, where will season four be set? The White Lotus season three is available on OSN+ in the Middle East
