White Lotus season 3 is living up to the wild chaos we’ve come to expect from the show—and honestly, would we want it any other way? The new season continues the tradition of following absurdly dysfunctional (and ridiculously entertaining) characters, and now, the cast is spilling the tea on how they became tight-knit even before setting foot in Thailand for filming.
In a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, the stars of White Lotus dished on how they clicked with each other right from the get-go—despite never doing any official chemistry reads. Sarah Catherine Hook, who plays Piper, admitted, “There were no chemistry reads with anyone, so it was like, fingers crossed we all feel like a family.”
Basically, they were thrown together and just had to hope they’d vibe. And spoiler alert: they totally did.
The five actors who play the over-the-top Ratliff family even set up a group chat before flying to Thailand—and according to Hook, it was pure chaos from day one (in the best way possible). “The Ratliffs had hopped on a group chat before we got to Thailand, and it was just the most chaotic group chat I had ever seen.”
Leading the charge? Parker Posey. She turned into the MVP of the group text, constantly updating everyone with her quirky, offbeat life happenings. Hook recalls Posey casually saying things like, “I have the flu, guys, I need to take care of myself… but also, let me tell you about this bird I just saw.” 😂
These random, hilarious moments helped the cast bond quickly, and by the time they were all on set, it was like they’d known each other for years. Hook says they “spent every waking minute together,” like one big, happy, dysfunctional vacation fam.
And speaking of fake family turning a little too real—Jason Isaacs, who plays the Ratliff dad, got so into character that he started treating his on-screen kids like his actual children. He said, “I’d be on FaceTime with my real kids, and I’d say, ‘The kids are here.’ And they’d go, ‘Daddy, we’re your kids.’ I’d be like, ‘I know, I know.’” Talk about method acting, right?
In the end, all that pre-shoot bonding paid off. The Ratliff family’s chemistry is undeniable on screen, even as their characters spiral into personal crises—except for Parker Posey’s character, who’s blissfully unbothered and just wants her Lorazepam. Classic.
