HBO
HBO’s hit series The White Lotus is back for its third season, this time placing its titular hotel in the lushness of Thailand. And as per the The White Lotus formula, the resort is filled with beautiful-yet-miserable upper class Americans, bar a Brit and a French-Canadian here and there.
One of this season of The White Lotus’ main group of characters is the the Ratliff family, a stereotypically costal Southern family from North Carolina, populated with both Duke and UNC alums. The Ratliff family is played by Jason Isaacs, Parkey Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola, and Sarah Catherine Hook.
To get his Ratliff family actors to prepare for their roles, series writer and director Mike White had them watch the Bravo reality TV show Southern Charm.
“Mike told us to go watch Southern Charm. In fact, Jason Isaacs, who played our dad, kind of modeled his whole accent and character off of [that cast],” Nivola, who plays the youngest member of the family, told People Magazine.
The only member of the cast who did not watch Southern Charm to prep for the role was Sarah Catherine Hook, the middle daughter, as Mike White must have reasoned that because she’s from Alabama, she already has a personal history with and understanding of these kinds of people.
“I’m from Alabama. I found out through you guys. I was like, ‘He didn’t tell me to watch Southern Charm! I’m feeling left out,’” she said.
Southern Charm, which premiered in 2014, is described by Bravo as:
“Southern Charm reveals a world of exclusivity, money and scandal dating back through generations of families in Charleston, S.C. The docuseries follows several Charleston singles as they pursue their personal and professional lives while trying to preserve their family names, because just one social faux pas can taint a family’s name for generations. Members of the notoriously closed society unlock the gates of their centuries-old homes for a real-life look at how modern-day Southern aristocracy lives. Viewers get a peek at a social scene which is bound by tradition and ostentation unlike any other culture in America, through a group of the city’s most charismatic gentlemen and their Southern-belle equals.”
True anecdote: my fiancee watches Southern Charm and I’ve caught a few episodes, resulting in me nicknaming them the “Dips— Brigade.” That’s how aggressively obnoxious and out-of-touch the people in that show are, which is why it served as the perfect case study for The White Lotus.
In addition to the aforementioned Ratliff family actors, season three of The White Lotus also stars Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Lalisa Manobal, Michelle Monaghan, Lek Patravadi, Natasha Rothwell, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tayme Thapthimthong, Aimee Lou Wood and Jon Gries.