After taking on Hawaii and Italy in the first two entries of “The White Lotus,” the anthology series’ creator Mike White believes his latest adventure in Thailand ups the ante.
“I do feel like the other seasons were a rehearsal for this one,” White said in a recent interview with TIME. “There’s stuff that I’ve never directed before.”
White also shared that he drew on his own life and experiences to conceive Season 3. Initially, White wanted to shoot in Japan, but after HBO suggested Thailand, he took a trip to scout locations and ended up being hospitalized with a case of severe bronchitis. As dire as the circumstance was, White was still able to find inspiration through the haze.
“I didn’t sleep for like two nights,” he said, “and by the next morning I was like, ‘I think I have the plot.’ The season is pretty much what happened that night.”
While typically, White considers finding the ending to his stories “the hardest part,” the delirium brought on by his illness and its subsequent treatment helped him reach the conclusion of Season 3 early on, allowing him to work backwards and providing confidence in the choice of Thailand as the show’s newest setting.
In addition to spending time in Thailand as a contestant on “The Amazing Race” in 2009, White also has a connection to the country’s Buddhist religion and culture. That being said, he told TIME that he doesn’t want people thinking “The White Lotus” will reflect a deep understanding or authenticity.
“I had a Buddhist self-help phase when I had a nervous breakdown in my 30s. I use Buddhist concepts as a way to sort of organize my ideas,” said White, adding later, “I don’t think the show will ever be a nuanced version of a Thai person’s Buddhist experience. I don’t feel like I could write that. It is really about Americans coming with preconceptions. You talk to people … and try to build out something that feels multidimensional and you hope it passes the bullsh-t test. Because that’s the nature of storytelling: finding the story, finding the connections between all people — as opposed to seeing the differences and being fearful of that.”
In relating Season 3’s themes to the precepts of reincarnation and mirror selves reflected in Buddhism, White said of the characters, “They’re all in some kind of hurt. Like, they’re all dead, but they don’t know it.”
That being said, White did share with TIME that the murder in Season 3 will be treated as a culmination and not be shown in the first episode as it had been in the past. The upcoming season’s cast includes Walton Goggins, Aimee Lou Wood, Lalisa Manobal, Parker Posey, Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Jason Isaacs, Leslie Bibb, Natasha Rothwell, and more. The series has also been renewed for a fourth season ahead of the third’s premiere.
“The White Lotus” Season 3 premieres on February 16, 2025, airing on HBO and streaming on Max .
