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As White Lotus stars post happy snaps from behind the scenes, one hints at trouble in paradise By DOLLY BUSBY SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER Published: 19:38 EDT, 2 April 2025 | Updated: 19:46 EDT, 2 April 2025 e-mail View comments Hours on the beach, sunset boat rides and endless partying by the pool – filming season three of The White Lotus in Thailand appears to have been a lot of fun. Seven months spent together at the luxury Four Seasons Hotel on Koh Samui forged the stars of the edgy drama into a tight-knit group of friends, judging by images shared online by several cast members. But while the posts portray an unbroken paradise, one actor has told a very different story of life behind the scenes of the Emmy-winning show.
Jason Isaacs, who plays doomed millionaire businessman Tim Ratliff in the HBO series, has revealed ‘it wasn’t a holiday’ and that ‘friendships were lost’ while filming. The British star, 61, added: ‘It was a cross between summer camp and Lord Of The Flies but in a gilded cage. ‘Some people got very close, there were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost.
‘All the things you would imagine with a group of people unanchored from their home lives on the other side of the world, in the intense pressure cooker of the working environment with eye-melting heat and insects and late nights.’ Isaacs, who also plays Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, added: ‘They say in the show, “What happens in Thailand stays in Thailand,” but there’s an off-screen White Lotus as well, with few deaths but just as much drama.’ Seven months spent together at the luxury Four Seasons Hotel on Koh Samui forged the stars of the edgy drama into a tight-knit group of friends, judging by images shared online by several cast members But Jason Isaacs, who plays doomed millionaire businessman Tim Ratliff in the HBO series, has revealed ‘it wasn’t a holiday’ and that ‘friendships were lost’ while filming Each season of The White Lotus tells a tale of wealthy tourists and staff at a luxury hotel, revolving around a mysterious death in the opening episode Each season of The White Lotus tells a tale of wealthy tourists and staff at a luxury hotel, revolving around a mysterious death in the opening episode.
Isaacs’s revelations were made in an interview with Vulture, which is part of New York magazine. When asked to elaborate, he said: ‘I became very close to some people and less close to others. ‘But we still all had that experience together and there’s a certain level of discretion required.
’ Pictures plastered all over the cast’s Instagram pages tell a different story. Leslie Bibb, who plays Kate, one of a trio of friends, shared a slew of snaps with her co-stars in idyllic locations around Thailand including a meditation class and a white sand beach. The 51-year-old – who is married to co-star Sam Rockwell (shady wingman Frank) – posted one picture of herself drinking straight from a bottle of white wine.
She is watched by fan favourite Parker Posey, 56, who plays American mom Victoria Ratliff, and appears to be the life and soul of the party in the cast shots. Meanwhile, Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood, who plays the ditsy Chelsea, posted pictures on a yacht with Patrick Schwarzenegger, 31, and Sam Nivola, 21 – the show’s Ratliff brothers. Ms Wood, also 31, previously revealed she found filming ‘claustrophobic’ but had formed a close friendship with Ms Bibb.
Ms Wood said: ‘If we didn’t have each other, we would all have gone mad – because we were so far away from home and everyone was homesick, and it’s so claustrophobic.’ In an interview with Elle UK, she said: ‘There’s no separation, you walk out and you’re on set. Filming in a hotel, living in a hotel, you become a White Lotus guest, you actually do.
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