‘The White Lotus’ Is Mike White’s Master Class in Character Development

variety.com:

Tara McNamara Few people weren’t dreaming of travel in August 2020, arguably the most stir-crazy moment of the COVID-19 quarantine, with tensions boiling over after a divisive election and widespread protests, all while wildfires threatened the West Coast.Mike White, for one, funneled the escapist fantasy into the ugly reality of the beautiful people, translating the moment’s tensions and the zeitgeist into “The White Lotus,” a dark comedy about affluent Americans on holiday at a luxurious Hawaiian resort and the staff who cater to them.

Moving as fast as the flames raging around Southern California at the time, White wrote the pilot for the six-episode HBO limited series near the end of the summer before heading to Hawaii to begin prepping production.

Shot in fall and early winter of that same year, “The White Lotus” follows three sets of guests, almost all of whom are white and would self-identify as progressive.

They’re pampered by a diverse staff whose mission is to give their rich patrons a pleasant experience while disappearing under an “overall impression of vagueness,” as resort manager Armond (Murray Bartlett) instructs his staff.“‘White Lotus’ is kind of a wild ride,” says Bartlett, who has racked up awards for his increasingly unhinged performance. “It’s a very dark, funny look at that kind of social construct where you have those very privileged, often obnoxious people at the top of the pyramid and how that affects all the people in the lower tiers, and vice versa.”Speaking of the privileged, Jennifer Coolidge plays Tanya McQuoid, a needy heiress carting her mother’s ashes around.