What Carrie Coon says about shooting ‘The White Lotus’ in Thailand
“The White Lotus” star Carrie Coon tells USA TODAY about what it was like to film in Thailand.
Spoiler alert: This story includes details from the Season 3 finale of HBO’s “The White Lotus.”
The Season 3 finale of “The White Lotus” was nothing less than a carnage with not one or two, but five deaths, four more than in each of the past two seasons.
Among those did not make it during the April 6 finale (streaming now on Max) was Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), the toothy girlfriend of Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins), who also perished from a gunshot fired by a newly emboldened Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong), the Thailand resort’s security guard. Rick was behind many of the deaths, including mysterious hotel owner Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn), the man Rick believed was behind the death of his father, (as it turns out, he was his father) and his two bodyguards.
Wood, 31, at a panel following a finale watch party in California, called the finale “very, very moving,” and despite the tragedy, “there was a lot of hope in it, and there was a lot of softness,” she said. “I found it incredibly uncynical, but especially for ‘The White Lotus.’”
USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler gave Season 3 ★★★ out of four stars, writing that HBO’s luxury-hotel set anthology series “is a deliciously twisty wealth satire with sharp edges and deeply thoughtful themes.”
“Season 3 of ‘(White) Lotus’ may be lacking in some aspects, but creator White’s ability to build tension in his stories is simply unparalleled,” Lawler wrote in her review. “Scenes set on luxury yachts and in gorgeous hotel pools can generate the same fraught anxiety and apprehension as a battle scene in a different show.”
While viewers are yet to recover from the deaths, all eyes are on creator/writer Mike White and Max for the next season of the social satire. Here is what we know about Season 4 of “White Lotus,” including which country guests may be packing their bags for this time around.
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Will there be ‘The White Lotus’ Season 4?
Before Season 3’s premiere, HBO announced it had already renewed “The White Lotus” for a fourth season.
However, a release date for Season 4 is not yet known. Max did not offer more information on the upcoming season when contacted by USA TODAY.
Season 1 of “The White Lotus” debuted July 11, 2021, while the second season premiered Oct. 30, 2022. The third season dropped Feb. 16, 2025.
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Where is ‘The White Lotus’ Season 4 located?
White and Max have not revealed where they plan to shoot the next season of “The White Lotus.” However, they have dropped hints on where the next season could potentially be set.
“For the fourth season, I want to get a little bit out of the crashing waves of rocks vernacular but there’s always more room for more murders at the White Lotus hotels,” White said in after-episode video feature.
HBO programming executive Francesca Oris, who spoke to Deadline during Season 3’s debut in February, had teased “we’ll know soon” when discussing the upcoming season’s location.
“I can’t really say where we’re going to land but chances are somewhere in Europe,” Orsi told Deadline.
At the same time, several cast members and executives have joked that White hates the cold, so a “White Lotus” set in a snowy place is unlikely.
“I’d bet $100,000 we don’t end up in the cold next. Even if we flirted with the idea, Mike just wouldn’t want to be in the cold. He hates it,” producer David Bernad told The Hollywood Reporter.
However, a local media outlet in Norway reported that White reached out to the Norwegian Film Institute for a grant to film a season of the series in Norway prior to Season 3’s premiere.
Where were previous seasons of ‘The White Lotus’ set?
Season 1 of “The White Lotus” was set in Hawaii, Season 2 in Sicily, Italy and Season 3 in Koh Samui, Thailand.
The previous seasons of the series have all been filmed at a Four Seasons property and the two companies had announced a partnership ahead of Season 3.
‘The White Lotus’ Season 4 cast
Max has not yet announced casting details for Season 4 of “The White Lotus.” The cast for the series has previously been revealed closer to production.
While each of the previous three seasons had mostly different casts, some actors, such as Jennifer Coolidge, Jon Gries and Natasha Rothwell, returned for multiple seasons. Given at Rothwell’s Belinda and Gries’ Gary did not die this season, it is possible we may see them in upcoming seasons.
White told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that he wouldn’t mind an all-star season with returning cast members.
“If the show goes on for a couple of seasons, it would be fun to have an all-star season,” White had said.
The creator still holds the same opinion two years later.
“I’d love to do that,” White told The Hollywood Reporter April 2.
How to watch ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3
All eight episodes of “The White Lotus” are available to stream on Max.
Watch The White Lotus Season 3 with Sling + Max
Max subscription plans begin at $9.99 a month with ads, which allows users to stream on up to two devices at one time. Ad-free subscriptions are $16.99 a month and include the ability to download up to 30 titles to watch on the go. The highest tier, a $20.99 a month option, includes the ability to stream on four devices and offers 4K Ultra HD video quality and 100 downloads.
HBO is also offering bundles with Hulu and Disney+.
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Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Julia Gomez, Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
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