White Lotus Season 3’s "Very Meta" Filming Process Explained By Walton Goggins

Summary Walton Goggins explains The White Lotus season 3's "very meta" filming process, similar to the characters' hotel experience.

Season 3 is set in Thailand and promises memorable experiences at The White Lotus with a star-studded cast.

Creator Mike White teases a satirical look at death and spirituality in a supersized season 3.

Walton Goggins explains The White Lotus season 3's "very meta" filming process. Premiered in 2021, HBO's Emmy award-winning anthology series follows the seemingly perfect guests and cheerful employees of the eponymous resort chain whose interactions are influenced by their diverse psychosocial issues, with each season set in a different idyllic locale. The White Lotus season 3 is set to star Goggins amongst its outstanding A-list cast, which also includes Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, and Parker Posey.

In a profile by the Los Angeles Times, Goggins opened up about The White Lotus season 3 and its "very meta" filming process. The star explained that the filming process for the actors is very similar to the characters in the story in the sense that they are "guests checking into a hotel playing guests checking into a hotel. We spend all this time together, whether we like it or not, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner." Read his full explanation below:

It’s all very meta on every level. We’re guests checking into a hotel playing guests checking into a hotel. We spend all this time together, whether we like it or not, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. We work where we stay. I went to a lot of the places where we’re filming now, the same streets and sandy beaches. I have come so far in my life and been healed on a number of levels. I am so grateful for this moment and the path I’ve been walking.

What We Know About The White Lotus Season 3

Filming Progress, Cast, & Themes

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After the first two seasons were set in Maui and Sicily, the third season will be set in Thailand. In February 2024, the HBO show's official Instagram account shared a set photo of the idyllic locale announcing that season 3 has started filming, promising that "unforgettable experiences are in the making at The White Lotus" and they are "eager to welcome new guests to [their] resort in Thailand." It's been reported that filming is taking place at one of the Four Seasons resort chains in Thailand, with additional locations including Bangkok, Phuket, and Ko Samui.

Related The White Lotus Season 3 Location Will Completely Change The Show HBO series The White Lotus season 3's new location at a Four Seasons resort in Thailand will completely change the show in a number of ways.

Goggins, fresh off his unforgettable performance as The Ghoul in Fallout season 1, is one of the most anticipated cast members to join White Lotus season 3. He also has plenty of prior experience with HBO shows, starring in Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones. Other than the aforementioned cast members, Christian Friedel, Scott Glenn, Lalisa Manobal, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Aimee Lou Wood are also among The White Lotus season 3 cast. It's unknown who they are playing, though season 3's characters reportedly include "a patriarch, a corporate executive, an actress, a few moms, a misfit, and a yoga enthusiast."

The only returning cast member is Natasha Rothwell as Belinda Lindsey, reprising her role from the first season.

Plot details remain under wraps, though following The White Lotus season 2 ending, creator Mike White said the third season would be a "satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality." Also the show's sole writer and director, White said that season 3 will be "supersized" and "longer, bigger, crazier." As The White Lotus season 3 continues filming in Thailand, it should premiere sometime in 2025, as HBO boss Casey Bloys predicted.

The White Lotus is streaming on Max.

Source: Los Angeles Times