The White Lotus Director Wants To Shift The Focus On Desire & S*xual Selection In Season 2 (Photo Credit –Still From The White Lotus)
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As the Jennifer Coolidge-led streaming series ‘The White Lotus’ enters its second season, the show director, Mike White, reveals that he wanted to narrow the focus down this time to the themes of desire and s*xual selection.
This season is set at a Sicilian resort and follows the exploits of various guests and staff over the span of a week.
Talking about men and a personal connection in the story of season two, Mike says, “Right before I started writing season two, my dad and I went to Sweden. I had planned this trip for us so he could see where his mother’s family came from. We had that experience, and shortly after, he was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. The miracle of being able to have that trip was so intense.”
He further mentions how hearing about sex from his father makes him a teenager all over again, “As soon as my dad starts talking about s*x, I’m 14 again. ‘Oh my god’. (Laughs) But here’s my dad, he’s an upstanding, great guy, but he can never escape his animal self. We will be humiliated throughout life because of this part of ourselves. What do we do with desire? What is a ‘good man’? What is s*xual selection? It’s been changing throughout my lifetime.”
The second season sees Jennifer Coolidge returning to the role of a wealthy heiress Tanya. The director adds that he intended to explore sexuality from the prism of a heterosexual male.
“In season two, I specifically wanted to explore these themes through the lens of male heterosexuality. I thought it would be interesting to have three generations of men travelling together and have the older men grappling with the reality that their s*x drives have essentially ruined their legacies and families, while the grandson character, Albie Di Grasso, is more ‘I’m sorry, I actually don’t have a s*x drive,” he concluded.
In season 2, Jennifer Coolidge is joined by an all-new cast, including F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Meghann Fahy, Beatrice Granno, Jon Gries, Sabrina Impacciatore, Michael Imperioli, Theo James, Aubrey Plaza, Haley Lu Richardson, Tom Hollander, Leo Woodall, Will Sharpe and Simona Tabasco.
Season 2 of ‘The White Lotus’ is available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar.
