Working with Mike White and starring in “The White Lotus” Season 3 was an “undeniable” job for Carrie Coon, but according to the actress, “it was a real question” on whether it’d actually be possible. Fortunately, she had a lot of help to make it happen.
Appearing on the latest episode of TheWrap’s “UnWrapped” Podcast, Coon recalled her audition process for the HBO series, in which she stars this season as Laurie, one third of a trio known affectionately as “the blonde blob.” Most of her scenes take place alongside Michelle Monaghan’s Jaclyn and Leslie Bibb’s Kate.
According to Coon, she sent in a self-tape for the role — because “everybody auditions for Mike White. Everybody” — and heard back the very next day. What followed was a conversation with her husband, playwright Tracy Letts, about the insane logistics of filming a series in Thailand while still managing her home life.
“Now, we had a lot of help. But let me just say, lost money on the deal,” Coon admitted with a laugh. “Because I had to hire a lot of help. Worth every penny, but it was a great sacrifice.”
The actress noted that White has long been “a bucket list director” for her to work with, and she remains grateful to Letts for immediately being ready to help her make the job happen.
“To my husband’s credit, my husband said, ‘This is one of those jobs. It’s one of those undeniable jobs, and we are going to make this work,’” she explained. “And he basically said, ‘Yes, you can go to Thailand for six months.’”
In this episode, Carrie Coon discusses:
- Deleted scenes from Season 3 of “The White Lotus,” including a pickleball monologue and a dream sequence
- Her character Laurie’s wild escapades, and why she decided to sleep with Aleksei
- Life on set: reading with no pants on, hitting the gym twice a day and more
- That viral Trump conversation in Episode 3: “Art is Political”
- Her dream onscreen trio: Kathryn Hahn & Marianne Jean-Baptiste
- A much-anticipated “The Leftovers” reunion this summer
- Her experience in the Marvel universe
About “UnWrapped”
“UnWrapped” is a podcast produced by WrapWomen, dedicated to empowering the next generation of women in media and entertainment. Each episode “unwraps” topics from entertainment news and industry trends to career advice, Hollywood headlines and more.
Special guests include industry leaders, actors, producers and studio execs. The aim of the series is to connect those looking for knowledge and access to those with the knowledge and access, providing the WrapWomen community with tools to succeed in their personal and professional lives.
You can listen to the full episode on TheWrap.com, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TheWrap’s YouTube page or wherever you get your podcasts.
