It's a sound we've missed for months - the tinkle of melodic harps, the female opera singer, the chaotic 'aloha'. But finally, The White Lotus is back on our screens for season three.
As is customary from the series, we can expect a dead body; an exotic location (series three is filmed in a wellness resort in Thailand), plenty of mysteries, and a slew of rich-people satire. And with a star-studded line up, we can expect this series to be every bit as good - if not better - than the previous seasons. As creator Mike White told Time magazine: 'I do feel like the other seasons were a rehearsal for this one.' Aimee Lou Wood, Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Arnas Fedaravičius, Leslie Bibb and Natasha Rothwell,who played Belinda in season one, are all in starring roles too.
Who plays Lochlan?
One of the characters set to make an impact is Lochlan, played by Sam Nivola. On The White Lotus, Lochlan is the youngest son of Timothy and Victoria Ratliff, and brother of Piper, played by Sarah Catherine Cook, and Saxon Ratcliff. His father Timothy is descried by HBO as a 'wealthy businessman vacationing with his wife and three children', while his mother Victoria is a privileged woman who refers to her children as her 'babies'. As for Lochlan? From what we can see in the trailer, he's in high school, and appears to be a quiet, sensitive boy, preoccupied with morality. In the trailer, he asks his older brother 'What if this life is just a test, to see if we can become better people?' Hmm, we'll have to see how that one is answered.
But the actor behind Lochlan has an intriguing a story himself. Here's everything we know...
Who is Sam Nivola and who are his famous parents?
Sam Nivola is an actor and director. He was born on 26th September 2003, making him 21-years-old, in London, but grew up in New York. Both his parents are actors too. His dad is Alessandro Nivola, who recently starred opposite Adrian Brody in The Brutalist, and with Tilda Swinton in The Room Next Door. He made his acting film debut in Face/Off and has since acted in films such as Mansfield Park, Jurassic Park III, and Laurel Canyon.
Sam's mother is Emily Mortimer, who has had roles in Paddington In Peru, Notting Hill and Match Point. Coming from such talented genes, it's no wonder Sam has ended up with a starring role in The White Lotus.
What else has Sam Nivola been in?
You might recognise Sam from Netflix's The Perfect Couple, where he plays Will Winbury, the groom's brother. He is also known for his roles in White Noise, Maestro, and Eileen. In an interview with WWD, he spoke about the similarities between White Lotus and The Perfect Couple.
'I totally see it. I would say the subject matter is quite similar, but the execution is very different. I think that that’s very much the zeitgeist of this decade right now, because obviously in the world there’s the worst income inequality of all time, and it’s always fascinating to see how these people live. What do you do if you have no responsibilities and you have a billion dollars?' he said.
Who is Sam Nivola dating? His relationship with Iris Apatow explained
Sam is dating fellow actor Iris Apatow, and the two have been pictured together on several occasions. Most recently, Iris was by Sam's side at The White Lotus season three premiere. Sam told PEOPLE that Apatow had been his constant support throughout the show, and even visited him while he filmed in Thailand.
'I brought my girlfriend for a few months, which was amazing,' he said. 'It was so great to have a taste of home because it was 10,000 miles away from home, and it was so nice of her to sacrifice that time to come be with me and I'm incredibly grateful to her.'