From the start, “The White Lotus” has focused on building characters. The second season of Mike White’s watercooler show for HBO, brought a (mostly) new cast, a new location and a switch from limited series to drama, where it added 23 Emmy nominations to its tally, five of which went to supporting actresses.
Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the nominees are not allowed to do press, but luckily, those who helped cast and outfit them are. Returning star Jennifer Coolidge, who won an Emmy for her role as Tanya McQuoid in Season 1, is in a different place in the second season, recently married but in a shaky relationship — something costume designer Alex Bovaird considered when creating her Sicilian vacation wardrobe.
“We felt like she would up the ante and try and pull out all the stops in her attire to look put together and gorgeous and glamorous,” says Bovaird.
Casting director Meredith Tucker admires what Coolidge brings to Tanya — the role was written for her, after all. “Her behavior is infuriating, but you have such a well of love for the character that she kind of can get away with it,” says Tucker. “She’s a really empathetic person.”
Uneasy interactions between Meghann Fahy’s socialite Daphne Sullivan and Aubrey Plaza’s tense Harper Spiller, vacationing together with their husbands, provide a lot of drama in the season, and Tucker saw Fahy as the perfect choice for Daphne’s “natural sunniness and warmth.” Daphne “is not this vapid woman,” Tucker says. “She is very much in control of her life. She knows exactly what she’s doing, she feels things, she’s perceptive. Meghann brought so much of that, and it’s the reason she was so right.”
When Bovaird set out to design the wardrobes for Daphne and Harper, she envisioned Daphne a bit prim and uptight and Harper as free spirited and vivid. Then she met Plaza and Fahy.
“Aubrey leaned into this bitchy and cold Harper so that, at first, you’re relating to Daphne more, but you’re seeing the rich through Harper’s eyes. You get a bit confused because Daphne is more relatable and Harper’s more uptight,” she explains. “They definitely were different in my mind until the actresses came on board.”
Italian actor Simona Tabasco stuns as local sex worker Lucia Greco who, along with her friend Mia (Beatrice Grannò), troll the White Lotus Sicily for clients. Bovaird enjoyed working with Tabasco through Lucia’s journey from “undeniable sex bomb” by way of a “sort of ‘Pretty Woman’ moment.” Lucia and Mia go on a shopping trip courtesy of Dominic Di Grasso (Michael Imperioli) and for Bovaird, this meant “glamorous but slightly trashy clothes.” The two women “approximate their version of rich girls by the pool and start adorning themselves with lots of jewelry. They get more and more sparkly as they go along.”
When Tabasco’s Lucia sets her sights on Dominic’s son Albie (Adam DiMarco), she becomes “more toned down — more like a girlfriend, less like a woman of the night,” Bovaird says.
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Hotel manager Valentina, portrayed by the Emmy-nominated Sabrina Impacciatore, is much more buttoned up.
“Sabrina is a really fun actress to work with.” says Bovaird. “She’s very enthusiastic and would always make sure everything is perfect.”
Much like her character, the fastidious manager who wants to ensure impeccable experiences for her guests, Impacciatore always kept her wardrobe crisp and tucked-in. “Everything’s nice and tidy,” Bovaird observes.
The first season of “White Lotus” earned 20 noms and won 10 statuettes in the limited category, including for series, casting and lead actress; Season 2 added nine supporting nominations overall, with four men in addition to five women, in addition to recognition in categories including drama series. Tucker credits White for the multifaceted and multidimensional characters.
“As frustrating as these characters are, there is always an angle of compassion and love,” the casting director says. “I think [White] does really love his characters.”