Talk about killer vacations.
HBO's Emmy-winning hit “The White Lotus” is back in season three. This time it's Thailand (aired on HBO and Max on Sundays at 9pm).
Executive producer David Bernad said when it comes to finding the best place for each season, “There's a macro approach. What country has a film community and local crew? 'We started in a broader sense. , each season has a bigger theme.”
Each season of the Dark Dramedy/Mystery series, created by Mike White, follows a variety of wealthy and miserable groups on vacation at the fictional “White Lotus” luxury resort. Incident.
Season 3 stars include Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
“This season we were trying to explore Eastern philosophy, Eastern religion and Western culture. So we're focusing on Asia and you narrowed it down,” explained Bernad. . “There are some countries that meet the criteria of what we were looking for. It's all organic, we'll go in. [to the location scouting process] Open your heart. ”
Choosing a hotel to film each season is “like a kind of speed dating,” he said. “When you feel it, you know it.”
During this season in Thailand, he said it was like “Marvel movie, you're there.” [create] As they filmed in several different hotel sections and edited the footage together to make it look like one hotel.
Season 3 was mainly filmed at Samui at Four Seasons Resort, but he explained that they “enhanced” it for their own purposes. For example, a scene with a character eating dinner was filmed at Rosewood Hotel Phuket. And while the Four Seasons offered “stunning” views and rooms, “there were no reception areas suitable for filming.
As for the monkey in which the character finds a tree in the first episode, the footage was taken from the hotel – Phuket Thailand's Nature Reserve.
“We didn't process the monkeys… we're blending into the footage.”
Bernad said he mostly closed the hotel and took over it while filming. But sometimes they had to avoid tourists staying there. And since “The White Lotus” is a hit show, this cast some complications.
“It was a struggle… The tourists were filming us,” he recalls.
“There was a moment when we were filming a pretty sensitive scene and someone was filming it from our hotel room.”
The solution was simple – he invited the person to the set and “seemed them removed from the phone.”
Bernad confirmed that the rumors were true. While filming, “Everyone stayed in the hotel, we all lived together in the hotel where we were filming together, and we all moved together.”
Production takes trade, but refuses to specify the cost. According to their website, one regular night at a villa without any special deals Four Seasons Resort Kosamui Meanwhile, it's just over $2,000 room in Rosewood Hotel Phuket costs around $1,000 per night. Anantara Bohut Koh Samui, The location where the reception area was photographed averages $308 per night.
Despite the luxurious setting, filming didn't feel like a holiday.
“It's obviously amazing to be there and live in Thailand. But at the end of the day, everyone is there to work. Everyone is incredibly focused, hardworking and professional. ” he said.
Still, that doesn't mean there wasn't anything fun on the set.
“There are a lot of Thai beauty. [nature] and animals and habitat. So, [during] When you need silence on the set, you often hear the elephant roaring or CICADAS CHARPING. They had a snake wrangler – they found a snake, which was scary,” he said.
“You're just dealing with natural habitats, and that adds to authenticity. It's natural and everyday for the local crew and cast.”
He added that snakes are harmless and not toxic.
“The set had a moment when they hung a plastic snake on the door frame and rocked it. [to seem alive]. There was such a practical joke. ”
“The White Lotus” is an Emmy-winning hit show, which has become like the Olympics, with countries competing for the next season.
“There's an element of people that invite us – it's incredibly flattering and unexpected.”
But when choosing a location for each season, Bernad said, “In the end, we are determined by the creative.”
“I'm really looking forward to people experiencing Thailand in new ways,” he said. “We have a great time there and have a deep love for people and culture.”
