There’s been a White Lotusshaped hole in our hearts ever since season two wrapped up last week – with viewers left dumbfounded and heartbroken at the explosive ending.
But while the second season may be over, the buzz about White Lotus is not – with countless theories, memes and debates about what the ending meant, and what could be in store for the – now confirmed – season three.
And now one of the show’s stars has given some behind-the-scenes juice, and it’s none other than the legendary Jennifer Coolidge – who plays loveable but troubled Tanya McQuoid.
Jennifer has reaveled in a joint interview with White Lotus creator Mike White that she tried to convince him to film an alternative ending – 'just in case'.
After a rollercoaster time of it at the White Lotus in Maui in season one, season two saw aloof millionaire heiress Tanya return to the Sicily chain of the luxury hotel, giving viewers another decadent dose of sass and colourful kaftans.
During her time in Sicily, viewers saw her struggle in her marriage to husband Greg – who she met in series one – who now seemed frustrated and bored of Tanya, despite her attempts at romance.
After Tanya overheard Greg on a mysterious phone call – seemingly chatting to a lover – and after he left Sicily early due to 'work', a deflated Tanya befriend a group of glamorous gay men – fronted by Quentin (Tom Hallander) - who boosted her spirits with cocktails, drug-fuelled parties and a trip to their lavish villa in the neighbouring town of Palermo.
But Tanya and her assistant Portia soon became suspicious of the men after suspecting they may be tied to Greg.
And viewers tuned in to the final episode to see whether the men were in fact trying to scam her out of her fortune by murdering her and taking a portion of her fortune, which Greg would get in the event of her death.
SPOILER ALERT
But the finale didn’t quite tie up all the loose ends we’d wanted. In White Lotus style, we were still left with cliffhangers. In the end, we saw a terrified Tanya – who was convinced the gay men she was travelling on a boat back to the hotel with would imminently kill her - crumble under her own paranoia and murder the men in a frenzied shooting spree.
While the two living men fled the boat by jumping into the water and trying to swim to safety, Tanya herself stood shaken and alone, before attempting to board the smaller speedboat next to the yacht. But she slipped, slammed her head against the boat and fell unconscious into the water – her bloated body later being shown floating lifelessly in the sea.
It was then shown that it was her body that Daphne (played by The Bold Type’s Meghan Fahy) had run from screaming on the beach – the first scene of season 2.
Viewers were split on the ending – while some revelled in Mike White’s genius, others expressed their dismay at the legendary Tanya – the only character, aside from husband Greg, who had graced both seasons – being killed off.
And now Jennifer Coolidge has revealed that she initially attempted to save her character.
Jennifer – who has also starred in American Pie and A Cinderella Story – said in a New York Times interview alongside White, 'You can't talk Mike White out of anything, really. But whenever Mike was in a really good mood, and laughing about something, I'd go, like, "I don't have to die, right?"'
White added: 'Even when we were shooting the scene in the ocean where Daphne finds her body, she was like, "Should we just do one take where I pull myself up on the shore? Just one?"'
"That's an actress fighting for another season!" Coolidge joked. 'I wanted to be practical in case Mike had a change of heart. I just wanted to leave the possibilities open.'
But sadly for fans, director, writer and producer Mike – who starred as Mr Shneebly in School of Rock, which he also wrote - said there’s no return for Tanya.
He responded, 'Yesterday, I went over and watched the show alone with Jennifer,' he explained. 'At one point, I was kind of laughing and I looked over at her, and she was so sad for Tanya. In that moment, I was like, "Oh, this is the end for me and Jennifer." And Jennifer's the reason I did White Lotus in the first place, because I just wanted to write something for her and I just adore her. So it's sad. I didn't realize it until yesterday, but now I am sad. It's going to be hard to do it without her.'
A third series of the ten time Emmy-award winning show has been confirmed, thought to be set in yet another luxurious chain of the White Lotus hotel. While there’s no news of who’ll be starring in it or when we can expect it, fans are already buzzing for its return.