It sounds to good to be true, but it wasn’t: Actors were plucked from the hell that was the pandemic and dropped into a tropical bubble, where they would end up making The White Lotus for HBO. It would garner an astonishing 20 Emmy nominations, including one for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
Contenders TV: The Nominees — Deadline’s Complete Coverage
“It all seems very surreal,” admitted star Murray Bartlett, who was joined at Deadline’s Contenders Television: The Nominees award-season event by fellow Emmy nominees Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Lacy, Steve Zahn and Natasha Rothwell. “I mean, this was kind of a surreal experience from beginning to the end because we were all plucked out of Covid and whisked off to Hawaii to this kind of fever dream-type TV camp, you know? And then, from those kind of humble beginnings to these [nomination], it was very sweet and surreal.”
Added Britton: “We just had a great time on set. We were in the most gorgeous Covid bubble you could ever possibly imagine. It was weird to be in a Covid bubble. But the greatest thing about it was that we got each other, we got that beautiful place, and we would crack each other up on set 100% of the time. And, if we were off in time, we would go down and watch the sunset on the beach together. That’s what I remember most fondly of the whole thing. That was just so spectacular. I feel like that kind of blessed it all in a way.”
Set in the tropical resort, the series from Mike White follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week. It has already been renewed for a second season and Coolidge, who plays Tanya McQuoid, is set to return. The next edition of the series will follow a different group of vacationers as they book their stay at an Italian White Lotus property and settle in temporarily amongst its inhabitants. Actors joining The White Lotus in Season 2 include Aubrey Plaza, Will Sharpe, Sabrina Impacciatore, Theo James and Meghann Fahy (all of whom feature in today’s promo), as well as F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander, Michael Imperioli, Haley Lu Richardson, Leo Woodall, Beatrice Grannó and Simona Tabasco.
Check back Monday for the panel video.
