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WHITE LOTUS S3 CAST DRAMA: HOT TO GO!

Despite the third season’s action-packed finale airing last week, we don’t want to let the characters or cast go quite yet. And the ongoing drama seems to be bubbling faster than a much-needed antacid.  

As initially reported in Deuxmoi’s weekly newsletter published on April 7th, Jason Isaacs, who played financier and patriarch Tim Ratliff, offered a bird’s eye view to Vulture about the cast’s relationship dynamics. Isaacs revealed that “some people got very close, there were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost.” He likened the shoot’s exotic locale to being an “intense pressure cooker of the working environment with eye-melting heat and insects and late nights.” More on that heat later on…

Dropped in Deux/U’s most recent podcast episode on April 10th, Deuxmoi received intel from a source close to the set about where the cast stands. The anonymous source said, “allegedly many people on the cast are apparently reeling a little bit now and feeling adrift now that it’s all over.”  

But just what were the feels like during the intense seven-month shooting period on the idyllic island of Koh Samui? Hot and sweaty, for starters.

The same source went on to say that “the heat apparently made people lose their minds a little bit.” Let’s just say air-conditioning units (and food poisoning-induced hospital visits) may have been a symbolic bonding moment for the actors. Our insider told Deuxmoi, “Allegedly, they would literally huddle together in the few onset air conditioned spaces in between takes.” Talk about up close and personal 24/7.

Overheating can lead to overreactions, and some cast members may have taken on temperamental personalities and flushed flirtations throughout these extenuating circumstances. Given that the majority of the cast members are not single, it’s best to leave the rumors (even if confirmed through our sources) as mere speculation.  

With our sources equating the entire experience to a summer camp, certain cast members deserved specific superlatives by the end of filming. Queen Diva would be bestowed to Parker Posey, whereas Mentor of the Year would be handed to Jason Isaacs. A source revealed to Deuxmoi that Posey allegedly displayed prima donna-like behavior. Despite her character, Victoria Ratliff, being ever the Chatty Cathy, Posey was not in the mood off screen. In an ironic twist, those who had issues with cast members (and maybe evener Parker herself) would often air those complaints to her on-screen husband–further muddying that relationship dynamic. It’s giving HR-meets-high school guidance counselor with a side of “I’m telling my wife.”  

But high school didn’t end there.  

Apparently, cliques formed as well. Namely, on-screen love interests and fan favorites, Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood (alongside newly dubbed besties Wood and co-star Leslie Bibb) formed a tight bond. For reference, Goggins played the ever elusive Rick, whereas Wood was Chelsea, his romantic counterpart’s free spirited, hopeless romantic.

The hottest intel surrounded Goggins and Wood’s uniquely close relationship, which we could *almost* blame upon showrunner Mike White. According to a Deuxmoi source, Goggins and Wood “filmed the finale halfway throughout the overall shoot because Mike White doesn’t film in sequence.” Our source described these scenes as “the most traumatic and intense and emotional part of the entire season.” To add further fuel to the tumultuous fire, our tipster mentioned that Rick and Chelsea had filmed intense sex scenes–that which didn’t make the final cut.

We might not be mathematicians here, but here us out:

Two kindred soulmates (wink, wink) + super steamy scenes + on-set tiffs + the finale’s intensity (and out-of-order filming) = a formula for feelings.

So fast forward to the present day: where post season chatter of drama, rumors, and questionable relationships have erupted onto social media. In fact, eagle eyes noticed Goggins and Wood were no longer following each other on Instagram. Goggins went so far as to exclude tagging Wood in White Lotus-related posts (which could have resulted from a blocked account).

A source revealed to Deuxmoi “it’s obvious that he’s going to lengths to avoid her.”  

Additionally, Goggins posted a collage of Hollywood Reporter images, with the cast gracing the cover. Despite Goggins and Wood posing side-by-side, digital sleuths (and the naked eye) suggest that Wood was photoshopped into the group rooftop shot. Deuxmoi received intel from a source that “allegedly, she wouldn’t do the Hollywood Reporter shoot with him either.”

Flashback to last August when filming wrapped, Goggins penned a heartfelt Instagram tribute to the production, including a few sentimental lines for Wood: “Aimee… there’s not a day, an hour, a minute I’ll ever forget. What a pleasure.”

We’ll end this sauna-inducing saga with the blind item tacked onto the April 7th Deuxmoi newsletter, which highlights “an actress that everyone is talking about.”  

Long story short: the submitter allegedly knew about “a friend of a friend [who] moved into a new apartment in London last year. In the apartment was an iPad that controls theHi-Fi system, which the previous tenants were logged into. Over a year ago, the previous tenant knocked at the door to collect a package that had been delivered there. She asked if she could log out of the iPad.” And the plot thickened. “She remained logged in but this time her messages, emails and photos started syncing and getting sent to the iPad. Over the next few weeks, literal dick pics from her married co-star were sent to her account, as well as messages that implied an affair was going on.”

Read. Between.The. Lines.

And just like Isaacs echoed in the aforementioned eyebrow-raising interview, “What happens in Thailand, stays in Thailand…”