‘The White Lotus’ Star Lisa Talks Acting Debut In Her Home Country

Come February 16 on HBO and Max, the world’s greatest television obsession returns with a whole new bunch of wealthy and privileged, yet flawed individuals for the much-anticipated third season of The White Lotus. Taking place on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand this time around, these might be new breathtaking sights, but in true White Lotus fashion from creator Mike White, the secrets and the built-up tensions often find a way of rising to the surface.

Beyond the wide array of eccentric guests this season, there are also a few local Thai characters at the resort that are far more relatable and far less dramatic, including Mook, played by Lalisa Manobal – better known as Lisa. Celebrated for her K-Pop world domination with the Blackpink girls music group, Lisa’s portrayal as a wise and sweet White Lotus staff member, with dreams of taking her life and her skills to new places, is a breath of fresh air and ultimately makes her the tender heart of this new season.

I sat down with Lisa, alongside her The White Lotus season three co-star, Tayme Thapthimthong, who plays Gaitok, the friendly and dutiful White Lotus front gate attendant, as well as a close friend of Mook. With this being Lisa’s acting debut and getting to film this season in her birthplace of Thailand, she has nothing but excitement for this episodic storytelling opportunity.

Lisa said, “I feel so honored to be part of The White Lotus, and also this season is based in Thailand – in my home country. So, I’m just so – I don’t know what to say. Grateful – so proud to be Thai.”

Beyond her The White Lotus on-screen presence, Lisa continues to expand upon her successful music career, as well. Earlier this month, she released her new hit single “Born Again” featuring Doja Cat and RAYE, which is quickly climbing the charts. So, what does it mean to Lisa to have even more international attention lately, especially even more than ever with U.S. audiences?

“I’m just so thankful that I have a lot of global fans and they’re really excited about The White Lotus, and also ‘Born Again.’ I just can’t wait for them to see this series.”

As for Tayme, who tells me that he has lived in Thailand for the past 12 years, he has nothing but praise to say about his main The White Lotus scene partner, Lisa.

“She’s an amazing person, to start off with,” Tayme said. “I mean, she’s very friendly to me. The first time we met, I was a little nervous – like sweaty palms. She just broke the ice so easily with me. You know, like – Let’s get a drink and talk. She made such a nice effort to involve me in going to lunch with her, dinners and just get to know each other, so that our characters actually feel authentically sort of like good friends.”

Following the eight episodes ahead of The White Lotus season three, I was curious if Lisa has any interest or plans to continue acting.

Lisa said, “I would love to, but I haven’t received any call yet. Hello?! Hopefully, but I would love to do more.”

As I concluded our conversation, after embodying Mook and Gaitok on-screen for The White Lotus, what would Lisa and Tayme say to their characters, if only they could?

Tayme said, “For me, I would say to Gaitok – listen to Mook because she’s telling you all the right things, but you’re too in your head about some other things – your little beliefs and stuff. So hey, if you want to do better in life, you’ve got the best person to advise you on that.”

Lisa added: “From Lisa to Mook, I want to tell her that she’s doing great and I would love to root for her career. She wants something bigger, like she doesn’t want to just stay on the island. She wants go to Bangkok, but she’s pushing Gaitok because he has the opportunity to go. So, I would root for Mook – and Gaitok, as well.”