The new HBO six-episode limited series THE WHITE LOTUS, is a social satire set at an exclusive Hawaiian resort.
Featuring a stellar ensemble cast including Australian actor Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Fred Hechinger, Jake Lacy, Brittany O’Grady, Natasha Rothwell, Sydney Sweeney, Steve Zahn and Molly Shannon, the series, filmed on the island of Maui, follows the vacations of various hotel guests over the span of a week as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise. But with each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travellers, the hotel’s cheerful employees and the idyllic locale itself.
Among the employees at The White Lotus are the fastidious resort manager Armond (Murray Bartlett), who, after a sudden trauma, begins a dramatic downward spiral – and the down-to-earth spa manager, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) who gets taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride by a needy guest.
The holidaymakers include the Mossbacher family – Nicole (Connie Britton), a successful type-A exec, who can’t help but treat her family like disobedient employees; her husband, Mark (Steve Zahn), dealing with both an embarrassing health crisis and a terminal inferiority complex; their teenage son, Quinn (Fred Hechinger), a socially awkward gamer, experiencing the wonder of nature for the very first time; their daughter Olivia (Sydney Sweeney), and her friend, Paula (Brittany O’Grady), sharp-tongued college students who cast a sardonic eye on the lifestyles and belief systems of everyone around them.
The handsome, entitled Shane Patton (Jake Lacy) is here with his beautiful bride, Rachel (Alexandra Daddario). Shane and Rachel are in the throes of young love, but as they get to know each other better in this new, intimate environment, clouds of doubt appear – and by the time Shane’s intrusive mother, Kitty (Molly Shannon) surprises them with an unwelcome visit, their fairytale honeymoon has begun to unravel. And finally, there is Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge), a wealthy, unstable woman, recovering from the death of her mother, travelling alone to a hotel, looking for love and in desperate need of a massage.
THE WHITE LOTUS is created, written and directed by Mike White (HBO’s Enlightened); executive produced by White, David Bernad and Nick Hall; co-executive produced by Mark Kamine.
