France wasn’t the only country originally in the mix for Season 4 of Mike White’s hit anthology series The White Lotus, but it won the shot in the most White Lotus way imaginable: an encounter with a totally “typical” French waiter in Cannes.
“Actually, something happened here in Cannes,” producer David Bernado said during a session at the Cannes Series festival, which White attended in 2021. “We went to dinner and had a really tangible experience with the waiter and the maitre d’ maid. That was the stereotype. It was a very funny moment. And I think it suddenly unraveled the essence of the show and the dynamics of the show.”
Inspiration happened quickly. “We literally canceled every other place we were going to go. We were like, ‘Okay, we’re going to shoot here,'” he said.
The moment also aligned with ideas White already had for this season. It was a theme that was amplified by the city that hosts the world’s most prestigious film festival: “What is art and artists?”
Barnado revealed that he experienced the festival firsthand when he announced a film he produced in his late 20s. “I’ll never forget coming here. It was the first time I felt that people respected me as a producer,” he said. “There is no greater place for an artist than a film festival. It is the biggest dream on earth.”
Plot details are still being kept under wraps, but Bernard teased that season 4 will center on the loneliness and pain of being an artist, and “how fame can corrupt and dictate your life choices.”
“Who can attract the world’s attention? Who can be the plus one in a relationship? Who has that power? What satisfies us as people? Is it love for an intimate partner? Is it love for a stranger? Is it the world’s attention?”
He added that this is “the most personal season” for White, “and also the most entertaining.”
Season 4 has been filming for about two weeks at the Château de la Mésardière in Saint-Tropez with a French crew, and will soon head to the Martinez Hotel in Cannes during the film festival in May, with interior filming in Monaco and Paris scheduled for the summer.
On Friday, news broke that Helena Bonham Carter was leaving the show due to her role being recast. During the panel discussion, Barnard did not mention Carter’s departure, but spoke about French cast members Vincent Cassel and Nadia Tereszkiewicz. “The most exciting part so far has been working with them. It’s funny because I don’t speak French, but I’m sitting on set and those scenes are in French. And they’re so expressive and they’re such great artists,” he said. The French cast also includes Laura Smet, who attended the funeral of her late mother, actor Nathalie Bai, in Paris on Friday.
Season 4 also stars Steve Coogan, Caleb Jonte Edwards, Dylan Ennis, Corentyn Fila, Ari Greiner, Marissa Long, Alexander Ludwig, Chris Messina, AJ Michalka, and Kumail Nanjiani. Chloe Bennett, Sandra Bernhardt, Heather Graham, Max Greenfield, Frieda Gustafsson, Charlie Hall, Jarrad Paul, Rosie Perez, Ben Schnetzer.
