The White Lotus season 3 star Jason Isaacs was candid about how some cast members didn’t get along during the six-month-long shoot in Thailand. Life & Style breaks down everything the actor has shared about “drama” between his costars.
Jason Isaacs Said There Was ‘Drama’ Among Cast Members While Filming ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3
“Some people got very close. There were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost,” the Liverpool, England, native told Vulture in an interview published on March 30, 2025.
“They say in the show, ‘What happens in Thailand stays in Thailand,’ but there’s an offscreen White Lotus as well, with fewer deaths but just as much drama,” he dished. “It was like a cross between summer camp and Lord of the Flies but in a gilded cage.”
In an interview with Canada’s Etalk on April 2, 2025, Jason explained, “We went through a lot of ups and downs together,” while discussing how the cast got along during filming.
“Friendships form and friendships break, and alliances form and cliques form and not everyone can be invited to everything, so all the dynamics of summer camp happen. All the good bits and all the bad bits,” he told the outlet.
Jason Isaacs Became ‘Less Close’ to Some Costars While Filming ‘The White Lotus’
“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,” Jason told the Vulture while refusing to name names of who he grew closer to and more distant from as filming progressed.
Jason Isaacs Described the ‘Pressure Cooker’ Environment the Actors Faced Filming ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3
Jason went on to explain to Vulture that the pressures of being far away from home and the natural environment on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand, played a part in how the actors got along. Filming for season 3 of The White Lotus took place from February 2024 through August 2024.
“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,” he said about how the shoot affected friendships among castmates.
Jason Isaacs Said Filming ‘The White Lotus’ Was Nothing Like a Vacation
While season 3 of the Max hit was filmed at the luxurious Four Seasons Koh Samui resort, Jason told Vulture, “It wasn’t a holiday,” for the actors.
Jason Isaacs Became ‘Very Close’ With the Actors Who Played His Children
Season 3 of The White Lotus saw Jason’s character of North Carolina businessman Timothy Ratliff on vacation in Thailand with his family, including wife Victoria (Parker Posey) and their three children, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola).
“Does the fact that I spent a lot of time particularly with Patrick, Sarah Catherine, and Sam, and became very close to them, make any difference? I don’t know,” Jason pondered about if the cast informed how he played his character.
“I’ve played opposite people I barely knew, and we looked like we absolutely loved each other. I’ve played with people I know very well, and the relationships don’t work. I can talk about the dynamic but whether it bled into the work or not, I have no idea,” he added.
Jason Isaac Had Dinners and Other Outings With His ‘White Lotus’ Costars
While Jason didn’t want to say which cast members he became close to or fell out with, his Instagram page indicates some of the good times he had while filming in Thailand.
At the beginning of the shoot, Jason had dinner with Parker, Patrick, Sarah Catherine and Sam. They were joined by Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood, who played Rick Hatchett and his girlfriend, Chelsea, on the series.
“First week in Thailand. Crickets were eaten, chocolate was melted and mosquitoes loved the bug spray,” he wrote in the caption of the March 23, 2025, Instagram post. However, Jason also added, “Such a long way to go,” as he and the cast still had five months ahead on and off set.
The snapshots were taken so early in filming that they included actress Francesca Corney, who was originally cast to play Chloe. The character ended up in a threesome with the two Ratliff sons and Francesca was replaced midway through filming with actress Charlotte Le Bon, who appeared further apart in age from Patrick and Sam.
Whether or not Jason had any drama with the actors who played his children, fans thought he looked adorable and very fatherly with Patrick, Sam and Sarah Catherine in the photos. “The fact this looks like a real dad posting his kids on vacation,” one fan wrote in the comments, while another added, “Those look like his real kids,” with a heart emoji.
Jason Isaacs and His ‘White Lotus’ TV Children Appear to Still Be Close
Jason spent St. Patrick’s Day in 2025 with Patrick, Sam and Sarah Catherine in New York City.
“The Ratliffs hit NY looking for a quiet bar on Paddy’s Day. Duh,” the star captioned a selfie on March 16, 2025, smiling alongside the actors who played his kids, including the hashtag, “reunited and it feels so good.”
