The White Lotus season three apparently drew some inspiration from the reality show Southern Charm.
Sam Nivola, who plays the youngest sibling of the Ratliff family, recently told People that the show’s creator, Mike White, told him to watch the popular reality TV series.
“Mike told us to go watch Southern Charm,” Nivola said. He continued to explain how actors’ changed their voices to sound similar to the Charleston, South Carolina southern accent that castmembers of Southern Charm have.
“In fact, Jason Isaacs, who played our dad, kind of modeled his whole accent and character off of [that cast],” Nivola said.
However, Sarah Catherine Hook, who plays his sister, Piper Ratliff on The White Lotus insisted she already “had it down” as she’s from Alabama, so she didn’t participate. “I found out through you guys. I was like, ‘He didn’t tell me to watch Southern Charm! I’m feeling left out,’” she said.
Patrick Schwarzenegger plays Saxon, the oldest Ratliff sibling. In this season’s first episode, he had no issue being naked in front of his brother, Lochlan. Schwarzenegger recently told The Hollywood Reporter that decision wasn’t “calculated” and that “he’s just trying to prove to his brother that this is how he should live life.”
He continued, “Mike and I worked on the physicality of the character, and this guy leads with his private parts — like, that’s how he walks. He thinks he’s good-looking and has a great body and that all the girls are looking at him. He has no regard for the other people in the room.”
THR reached out to Bravo for any comment on the White Lotus comparison.