Advertisement
The season finale of The White Lotus season 3, which aired on April 6, has left fans reflecting on the character development (or lack thereof) of Sam Nivola’s character, Lochlan. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Nivola shared his thoughts on Lochlan’s journey throughout the season, particularly emphasizing how his character’s near-death experiences didn’t lead to any personal growth.
While other characters, like Saxon, undergo significant changes and learn to respect women more by the season’s end, Lochlan remains largely unchanged. Nivola described Lochlan’s trajectory in Thailand as one where “sadly, the only thing he’s leaving with is one more traumatic memory.” This highlights Lochlan’s stagnant character development and how his struggles don’t lead to the kind of epiphany or self-awareness that others experience.
Nivola also discussed one of the most intense scenes involving Lochlan — the underwater sequence where his character emerges from a body bag, giving the scene a surreal, almost supernatural vibe. Filming this moment was both challenging and bizarre for Nivola. He shared that the crew filmed two versions of the scene: one in which Lochlan simply tries to swim to the surface and another in which he emerges from the body bag before being tossed back into the ocean.
The scene raised the question of whether the audience would be confused, wondering if Lochlan had actually died, which added a layer of mystery to his character’s fate. Nivola described the experience of unzipping himself from the body bag underwater as “surreal and weird” — a moment that truly stands out for both the actor and the audience.
With the final episode now available for streaming on HBO, fans can reflect on Lochlan’s unresolved arc while savoring the intrigue and drama that season 3 brought to The White Lotus.