The White Lotus is set to return to HBO for a second season this October, after the new release dates were confirmed by the network. The comedy-drama was initially created by Mike White as a six-episode limited series, but a very positive reception prompted a rethink of its status.
That is not to say that the same faces who were there for the first season will be returning for the second, as the show is set to take an anthological structure, where each season tells a different story.
Theo James, Audrey Plaza, and Jennifer Coolidge are among the new cast members for the upcoming season, an almost completely different line-up from the first. Coolidge is the only one returning for Season 2, having already played a character called Tanya McQuoid.
The rest of the Season 1 cast comprised veteran names like Murray Bartlett, Steve Zahn, Natasha Rothwell, Jake Lacy and Connie Britton, among others. 55-year-old Britton is especially experienced, having kick-started her career in the mid-1990s.
Together with Coolidge, she is nominated for an Emmy for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress', with the awards ceremony set to be held on September 12, 2022.
What Role Does Connie Britton Play In The White Lotus?
An unofficial synopsis of The White Lotus describes the series as the story of ‘the guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain, whose stay becomes affected by their various dysfunctions.’
Murray Bartlett features as Almond, a recovering addict who currently works as the manager of the White Lotus resort in Hawaii. Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Fred Hechinger and Jake Lacy are among those who play characters arriving at the resort as guests.
Connie Britton portrays Nicole Mossbacher, the CFO of a search engine company who is also a guest at the White Lotus. She also arrives alongside her husband Mark Mossbacher, a part played by Diary of a Wimpy Kid star Steve Zahn.
As well as Britton and Coolidge, Bartlett, Lacy, Zahn, Daddario, Natasha Rothwell and Sydney Sweeney are all up for a Primetime Emmy Award. Mike White is also nominated for Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing, while the show is in contention for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
In the wake of all this success, Britton recently sat for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where she spoke at length about the show and her role in it.
Connie Britton Was Not Entirely Sold On The White Lotus At First
Connie Britton revealed in the interview with THR that she was not instantly sold on The White Lotus script when she first saw it. The reason for this was her past experiences with female characters being written in a limited manner, and her worry that it might have been the same with Nicole Mossbacher.
After a few conversations with Mike White, however, she was convinced that the character was more layered than that, and she agreed to play the part.
“I had a lot of conversations with Mike about this because women can be written as very reactive,” Britton said. “In my initial reading of the script, I was concerned that she was sort of reacting to everybody else in her family having their own journey.”
White was very reassuring about the character to Britton, and even took in some of her ideas on board. The actress did acknowledge, though, that there are some parallels between Nicole’s situation and what women go through in everyday life.
Did Connie Britton Anticipate Her Emmy Nomination For The White Lotus?
“We really focused in on making sure that Nicole was having her own journey. We [wanted] to make sure she really has her thing,” Connie Britton added in her conversation with THR.
“But at the same time, that actually is what happens with women I know,” she continued. “We do end up feeling like we’re just told we need to react to everybody else, and care about what’s important to everybody else, and our needs are subjugated in a way.”
The White Lotus’ has been really well received; even Chrissy Teigen revealed how her husband John Legend is a fan of the show. Britton knew that there was this kind of potential in the story, but she did not quite anticipate the Emmy recognition she and her colleagues have received.
“It [was] really just about the opportunity to play [an] amazing character,” she said. “I always give Mike all credit for the show — but I think part of the great thing that he did was bring people together and empower them to bring his vision to life. It feels like a shared victory.”
