‘The White Lotus’ Homosexual Intercourse Scene Defined by Mike White

SPOILER ALERT: This interview incorporates spoilers as much as Episode 5 of “The White Lotus,” airing Sundays on HBO and streaming on HBO Max.

Season 1 of “The White Lotus” left jaws large open when, on the finish of its fourth episode, Murray Bartlett’s Armond is caught face-deep in his worker Dillon’s (Lukas Gage) asscheeks. However with the most recent second-season episode, Mike White’s HBO collection might have topped that (pun meant).

“The White Lotus” launched new characters and battle final week when English millionaire Quentin (Tom Hollander) recruits Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) and her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) to affix him, his flamboyant mates and his hunky nephew Jack (Leo Woodall) in partying on the seashore membership. Portia’s budding fling with Albie (Adam DiMarco) begins to flicker when Jack takes curiosity in her, resulting in an ungainly, jealous showdown on the bar between Portia and Jack and Albie and Lucia (Simona Tabasco). Essentially the most surprising revelation, nevertheless, comes when Tanya roams round Quentin’s palazzo late at evening and walks in on Jack having intercourse along with his, erm… uncle?

Talking with Selection forward of the Episode 5 premiere, White stated the scene was an “echo” of Bartlett and Gage’s Season 1 second. Each characteristic a personality strolling in on homosexual intercourse behind closed doorways, and each happen two episodes earlier than the finale.

“There’s a pleasure to me as a man who’s gay-ish to make homosexual intercourse transgressive once more,” White stated. “It’s soiled… males are having intercourse and you’ve got this ‘Psycho’ music beneath. It simply amuses me.”

White continued: “I simply assume transgressive intercourse is sexier. I assume I’m old style. There’s this Gothic vibe of strolling by way of a haunted resort or haunted home and individuals are having intercourse behind closed doorways.”

So far as whether or not Quentin and Jack are literally associated, White teased, “Properly, you’ll need to see.”

Whereas Hollander instructed Selection that he knew about Quentin and Jack’s intimate second upon embarking on the position, Woodall stated he wasn’t even despatched a script till a few weeks after he received the half.

“After I discovered in regards to the scene, I used to be speechless for some time,” Woodall stated. “I’m such an enormous fan of Tom’s, and once I heard that he was going to be enjoying my uncle, I assumed, ‘That’s unreal.’ After which once I discovered that I used to be going to shag him as nicely — that was form of surreal. Something that Mike White does with this present is form of excellent, so there have been no reservations about it. It felt like an extremely ‘wow’ second.”

So far as taking pictures the scene, Woodall stated it was a closed set, and so they labored with an “unbelievable” intimacy coordinator, Miriam Lucia. After determining the logistics of the scene, they shot it from two completely different angles.

“It’s extra technical than the rest once you’re truly doing it,” Hollander stated. “You understand, ‘Is that this the proper angle? Does this look proper?’ However there was a mutually respectful vitality between us, too. And on the set, the manufacturing was very tender round these moments. It definitely was round that one. We simply wished to do it proper.” 

Hollander added that the actors had been “sprayed down with some stuff to make us appear like we had been sweating” — “oily stuff,” Woodall interjected.

“There’s fantasy, and also you’re going by way of your head going, ‘I hope I look good.’ However once they say motion, in a manner that goes, and also you truly simply end up considering, ‘I would like this to be a real illustration of an intimate second between two folks.’ You simply wish to do it proper,” Hollander stated.

When requested whether or not they’ve warned mates or household about what’s to come back, Woodall stated he instructed his dad to not let his 6-year-old brother watch the episode, however apart from that he hasn’t “instructed a single soul about it, as a result of I wish to see their faces — or at the least get their reactions with none immediate.”

So far as nerves main as much as Sunday evening, Hollander stated, “I suppose I’m excited. There’s a tiny bit of hysteria — I’m not fairly certain what it’s to do with — however principally I’m excited.”