It was the series finale that even the most chronically online viewers couldn’t second screen through, The White Lotus offering 90-minutes of nonstop thrills and emotional gulps after eight weeks of ‘edging’ by writer Mike White, as he puts it.
The third season has been markedly more controversial, some claiming it was too slow, offering too few resolutions for main characters, others calling it the ‘best yet’ and hailing the intricacies of how White writes female friendship and elitist family dynamics. Such division is perhaps an inevitability for a show that set the bar on hilarious yet complex storytelling with uniquely nuanced characters.
For Sarah Catherine Hook, who played Piper Ratliff in the series, working on the series was a dream. ‘The excitement really started with just getting an audition to begin with,’ she says. ‘When I read the description for Piper, I just had this feeling that that we were destined to be together. We were super aligned and the more I auditioned, it just felt right. That’s not always the case with every role so I felt really lucky that I did feel that way for a show that I really loved. Then when I got the actual call, it was this big exhale but also now I'm terrified! Like yes, this is what I wanted, but now I’m thinking this might kill me.’
The finale was a shock to her too. ‘We all watched the finale together, so I was seeing it for the first time with everybody and I was rattled,’ she says. ‘I thought everyone was going to get wiped out, it was so close for every single character. [But] I thought it was exceptional, Mike outdoes himself again and again. I really don’t know where I’m going to go from here, if I’m being honest.’
White writes every episode alone, and Hook calls his ability to craft such nuanced female characters ‘masterful’. ‘He wasn’t what I expected,’ she says. ‘Because he’s so brilliant you expect him to be very cerebral and philosophical in every conversation, which he is certainly but he’s also like this little devil and menace. He’s very silly and spicy, but also adorable and warm and wants you to feel comfortable and loved, he’s just unlike anyone I’ve ever worked with.’
For a Hollywood giant, he’s also uniquely transparent about life behind the scenes. When the shows composer, Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, told the New York Times he’s now quit working with White after a fight over creative differences, White hit back, ‘I don’t think I ever had a fight with him — except for maybe some emails. It was basically me giving him notes… I don't think he respected me. He wants people to know that he's edgy and dark and I'm, I don't know, like I watch reality TV.’
There’s certainly been no shortage of stories about alleged drama on set. Jason Isaacs, who played Timothy Ratliff, recently revealed that being on location in Thailand for seven months with the rest of the cast was ‘a cross between summer camp and Lord of the Flies but in a gilded cage… Some people got very close, there were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost.’
‘It was intense,’ Hook agrees. ‘It was like being in a bubble but to the extreme. Being on an island for that long with people you don’t know, it can be overwhelming. Everyone you know is on the other side of the world, and they’re asleep while you’re awake, so you don’t have many people to talk to. I got very close to my brothers [on the show], Sam [Lochlan] and Patrick [Schwarzenegger]. Everyone had their [hard] moments, but it was truly unforgettable.’
I got very close to my brothers Sam and Patrick, they're my brothers for life now.
So, what of next season? Could the Ratliff family return to The White Lotus or – as viewers have called for – get their own spin-off following their financial ruin? ‘I mean we’re all down,’ Hook laughs. ‘I’d love to see what Mike would write for it. I’ve heard whispers of Zion being a good one to bring back [to the main show] because he was introduced so late. I think it would be fun to have an all-star season for the final one, with characters from all the seasons, there has been talk that people really want to see that.’
For Hook, her focus now turns to movies. This year, she stars in the Netflix adaption of Emily Henry’s bestselling novel, People We Meet On Vacation alongside Tom Blythe, Emily Bader, and Lucas Gage. ‘Emily’s books are the perfect set up for a Netflix romantic comedy,’ she says. ‘Being in a romcom was a goal of mine post-White Lotus, because it’s also quite hard to get into movies! But I’m also so serious when I say where do I go after White Lotus? Mike was a dream director for me, so it’s going to hard to ever top that experience.’
One day, she hopes to put her vocal abilities to use too, as a classically trained soprano. ‘I've always dreamt of being in this really gorgeous Broadway show called The Light in the Piazza. I would love to play Clara Johnson one day.’ You heard her, Broadway casting agents of the future!