Tom Hollander explains delay in filming White Lotus season three

28 June 2023 , 19:51

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Tom Hollander explains delay in shooting White Lotus season three: Mike White ‘can’t write it because he would be thrown out of the [writers’] union.'

White Lotus fans are going to have to wait a bit longer for the return of the hit HBO series.

Tom Hollander, who played Quentin, the wealthy British ex-pat in series two, revealed the disappointing news in an interview with The News Agent, to the disappointment of viewers.

Hollander said: "Like everything else, it's on pause for the writers' strike. So, they can't actually shoot it. And they can't write it." In the US, the writers guild of America is currently striking against pay discrepancies. For the past two months, the strike has prevented late-night television from filming and halted any work on future seasons of scripted shows.

"He [Mike White] can't write it because he would be thrown out of the [writers'] union," Hollander explained. White created, wrote, and directed the hit anthology show that's amassed fans worldwide since its debut in 2021.

The cast of "The White Lotus" at the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards held at the Fairmont Century Plaza on February 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

Though there's no word on when the next season will finally be written, Hollander did share the location of the third season.

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"There is series three to come, which is set in Asia," he said. With series one taking place in Hawaii and series two in Sicily, the reveal of the continent has everyone wondering what exact luxurious location in Asia it will be.

Hollander also spoke about how he didn't want his character killed off in series two. White had to convince Hollander to play dead.

"I thought 'No, I don't want to be dead. I want to be in seasons 3, 4, 5, 6.' So, I went 'Okay, Mike. I'll keep my eyes open. Got it. Wink, wink.' but apparently I'm dead.," he said.

Tom Hollander in White Lotus (HBO)

Hollander also told The News Agents podcast about his current role starring in the West End production of 'Patriots,' a play about Vladimir Putin and Boris Berevosky where Hollander plays the latter. Portraying such a controversial figure did have him slightly worried when the show started.

"I'm not opening any of our fan mail just in case," he said, "But that's really to exaggerate our significance. We are actors doing a play but isn’t it amazing that we can."

Hollander shared the importance of his play, especially for those exiled from Russia.

"We've had a lot of Russian exiles crying on the pavement afterwards, because the story spoke to them of people who've left Russia and can't go back," he said.

Tatiana Krisztina