Why do queer people love The White Lotus so much? Season three cast have their say

It’s Jennifer Coolidge’s whingy sobs as she shoots dead a throng of wealthy, blood-thirsty gays. It’s Lukas Gage being rimmed by Murray Bartlett in the sweaty back office of a hotel in Hawaii. It’s Leo Woodall as a Jack the Lad Essex boy getting his rocks off with his quasi-uncle.

Across just two seasons, HBO’s The White Lotus and its creator, Mike White, have given LGBTQ+ TV lovers a fusillade of reasons to get invested in the black comedy.

Beyond the messy and sometimes jaw-droppingly transgressive queer sex portrayals, it’s the irresistibly quoteable lines (“These gays… they’re trying to murder me,”; “Peppa Pig”), coifed and crafty female leads, and a cast list pulled together via randomise Sim that has kept excitement for The White Lotus at a constant.

Now, season three is finally on the horizon. The reservations have been made, the bags are packed, and the passports have been double-checked. Sadly, Jennifer Coolidge’s orphaned heiress Tanya McQuoid will remain sleeping with the fishes, but with an (almost) entirely new collection of dysfunctional oddballs checking in, the quiet chaos will continue.

Season three sees couple Rick Hatchett and Chelsea (Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood) arrive in Thailand, alongside long-time, long-distance girlfriends, Kate, Laurie, and Jaclyn (Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, and Michelle Monaghan). Plus there’s the fractious Ratliff family (Parkery Posey and Jason Isaacs as mother and father Victoria and Timothy, with Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola, and Patrick Schwarzenegger as kids Piper, Lochlan, and Saxton respectively). 

The guests will be greeted by Blackpink star LISA as hotel employee Mook, plus season one returnee, spa manager Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), who’s in the country to learn about Thai wellness treatments.

Ahead of the 15-time Emmy Award-winning series returning, PinkNews chatted with Aimee Lou Wood, Natasha Rothwell, and Michelle Monaghan about what it is, exactly, that has made The White Lotus a queer favourite for the past few years.

“Well I just think that the community just knows what’s good. I feel like this community decides. You have to have that [intuition] really, it’s just a taste level. It’s a taste level thing. That’s what it is,” theorises Sex Education star Wood, who – potentially – has a queer storyline in season three.

“I just think that Jennifer Coolidge, to be honest,” she adds. “I think Tanya and that character is so iconic. I mean, I’ve got a bucket that says, ‘These gays are trying to murder me!’. I had that before I got the part. My friend bought it for me as a present because I’m so obsessed with the show and I’m so obsessed with that character. I think Jennifer Coolidge – put her in something, it’s instant adoration.”

Showrunner Mike White, who is bisexual, is an obvious part of the appeal too, with his dry sense of humour and innate ability to examine human beings, flaws and all.

“Mike’s essence that he just pours into this show is just so special,” Wood continues. “So camp. It’s the absolute best because it’s incredible performances, incredible writing, and so much fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

True Detective star Monahan agrees: it’s White’s understanding of what makes a fascinating, outcast character that sells the show wholeheartedly.

“He’s our visionary and he’s someone who is incredibly inclusive. I think that’s just an important thing for obviously any showrunner out there, but that is front and centre for him,” she explains.

“He’s such a keen observer of human behaviour, and if you’re a sponge like him, he is open to all walks of life and he brings them into the show and he has no fear about leaning into any kind of storyline,” she adds, undoubtedly thinking of the anal sex conversation between Armond and Mark in season one, or Mia and Valentina’s first queer encounter in season two.

Monahan shares that even down to the locations of The White Lotus resorts, White is thinking about inclusivity. From the queer history seeped into Siciliy in season two, to Thailand – which passed a bill to legalise same-sex marriage during filming – White wants to film in places that “celebrate freedom”.

For returnee Rothwell, she thinks the community’s fascination with the show is a lot more skin-deep.

“I wouldn’t even dare to speculate,” she laughs. “I think that there’s something about just the glamour of The White Lotus, from the hair and makeup and the wardrobe. I think that there’s something so aesthetically beautiful about the show.”

Yet the dark and daffy people The White Lotus welcomes, too, are an undeniable pull for queer people, Rothwell reasons.

“There is a little something about the characters. I think that they’re also really f**ked up characters. And I mean, I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I feel like the LGBT community likes drama, might like a little mess. So I think that might be it,” she says. “It’s camp as hell.”

The White Lotus launches on Sky and streaming service NOW on Monday 17th February.

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