Mike White Explains How a Safari Vacation With Jennifer Coolidge Was the Inspiration to Create THE WHITE LOTUS
The hit HBO anthology series The White Lotus has churned out three captivating seasons, with more promised and on the way. Aside from a couple key characters, the show has delivered some incredible brand new star-studded ensembles each seasons, and each story is wrapped in murder, sex, friendship, love, deceit, and intrigue, leaving fans wanting more. So what was the inspiration behind the interwoven murder mysteries set in the most picturesque locales? Creator Mike White revealed it was all about his muse, and bestie, Jennifer Coolidge.
Coolidge, an Emmy, Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award winner thanks to her two-season run on the show, is best known for her comedic roles and her iconic breathy voice. But it was on a vacation that White realized he wanted to build an entire series around one of her classic characters.
When asked about his inspiration for the award-winning show during an interview on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, White explained:
“Jennifer Coolidge and I, we're friends. And we went on this safari and it was like two weeks and we slept in the same bed even. I spent like two full weeks with her. I mean, it was awesome. She’s so fun. She's the funniest person. Getting through life is a bit hard, you know what I mean? There's a lot in the purse. There's a lot of stuff in her purse.”
He went on to do his own impression of Coolidge, saying that her response in seeing lions on their safari was what gave him the idea of turning her into the character Tanya McQuoid:
“She also veers a little on paranoid. So, like, we'd go out and she'd be like, ‘Wow, look at those pack of lions.’ And then she'd be like, ‘Do you see how they're looking at us? I know that look. We got to get out of here! I'm not kidding, we got to get out of here.’... Whatever I've done in my life, and I'm here watching her freak out about these lions, I was, like, ‘I've done something right.’ She’s an original character. She's amazing, and just to give her a really meaty part that she could really sink her teeth into [was the goal].”
He certainly met his goal. The White Lotus is a great series, and Jennifer Coolidge had a fantastic run. Season 4 of the series is set to begin shooting this year, with a 2027 release. This chapter will be set in France, and the cast so far includes Helena Bonham Carter, Max Greenfield, Kumail Nanjiani, Sandra Bernhard, Chris Messina, Chloe Bennet, Charlie Hall, Steve Coogan, Alexander Ludwig, and Vincent Cassel.