‘The White Lotus’ Star Christian Friedel on Shedding the Intensity of ‘The Zone of Interest’ to Become Fabian, an Awkward Aspiring ‘Diva’

variety.com:

Selome Hailu The last time most people saw Christian Friedel, he was playing the high-ranking Nazi officer Rudolph Höss, who lived next to and served as the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Beyond a haircut with shaved sides, that role didn’t require much of a physical transformation, and yet, the actor is almost unrecognizable when he first appears in Season 3 of “The White Lotus,” having traded in that character’s haunting darkness for the (mostly) endearing neuroticism of resort manager Fabian.

When we meet Fabian, he’s trying to remain dereferial panicking about the leisurely pace at which his boss, White Lotus owner Sritala (Lek Patravadi), is getting glammed up before the quickly approaching arrival of their newest guests.

His flattery is over-the-top once they make it to land, but on a dime, he launches into uptight admonishments of his staff — a comedic rhythm that Friedel found relieving after starring in Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar-winning Holocaust drama.