People have a lot to say about Season 3 of The White Lotus. No one knows this better than David Bernard, the show’s executive producer.
Fresh off the season finale’s airing, Bernard joined the latest episode of The Daily Beast Podcast to spill behind-the-scenes secrets of the show, give his take on all the online discourse surrounding this season, and settle once and for all whether the show might trade sun-soaked beaches in future seasons for snow-covered peaks—say, a luxurious Swiss Alps chalet?
“I would bet a lot of money that it won’t be in the snow, just because Mike White, [the show’s creator], really does not like the cold,” Bernard told co-hosts Joanna Coles and Samantha Bee, and editor of The Daily Beast’s Obsessed, Kevin Fallon.
Rather than starting with a script or a location, Bernard explains that he and White prefer to begin the creative process by deciding on the central theme for a new season and building the show from there.
“In Season 3, we knew it was going to be on Eastern Philosophy and religion, and so we were focused on Japan and Thailand,” Bernard said. “And as we went around Thailand, we fell in love with Buddhism and the people.”
Since this season of The White Lotus premiered, the show has dominated online conversations. You can’t log onto social media without seeing posts and memes about it. With that attention, however, comes the inevitable backlash. In the case of this season of The White Lotus, it came in the form of complaints about the show’s pacing.
“I hate this term, but I’m going to use it. It sort of feels like you’re being gaslit,” Bernard said, describing his reaction to hearing all the complaints from viewers that “nothing is happening” this season.
“The other day, I was in the car, and I was talking to a friend. I went, ‘What do you mean nothing is happening?’ Two brothers jerk each other off. One friend has sex with the other friend’s love interest, and then that friend goes home with a Russian guy and almost gets beat up,” he continued. “It feels confusing, but again, it’s better than nobody talking about the show and nobody caring about it.”
Despite those complaints, Season 3 finished with a bang, raking in more viewers than ever before.
To hear more behind-the-scenes secrets about this season of The White Lotus, check out this week’s episode in full.
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