On season 2 of the HBO series, things aren't looking good for Tanya and Greg's marriage.
[Warning: Spoilers for The White Lotus season 2, episode 3, "Bull Elephants," written and directed by Mike White.]
Now that we're three episodes into The White Lotus season 2, things are starting to get complicated as the lives of the guests and employees at the luxury Sicilian hotel start to unravel in unexpected ways. For Tanya McQuiod and Greg Hunt (returning stars Jennifer Coolidge and Jon Gries) that's seeing their marriage in a rough patch as their romantic getaway for two is ruined by the presence of Tanya's assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) and Greg's mysterious phone calls with someone back in the States.
As a result, Greg reveals he's leaving the resort to attend to something or someone else, one of the many mysteries of season 2 that now includes multiple dead bodies and some characters' suspicious motivations for visiting Sicily. Of course, all will eventually be revealed by the end, with Gries teasing to ET that watching the new episodes in creator Mike White's social satire is like riding a rollercoaster.
"You get pulled up the hill and then the first little downturn is kind of scary. And then as you get further into it, all of a sudden you're literally afraid the coaster is gonna fly off the track," he says, before getting into who is on the other end of Greg's calls, whether he'll return before the end of season 2 and what's really driving a wedge between him and Tanya.
ET: How would you describe where Tanya and Greg are at, at this point in season 2? Obviously, he's upset about Portia being on the trip but there seems to be a lot of other things going on there.
Jon Gries: Well the interesting thing about Greg is what you see is what you get. You know what I mean? Like, there's a kind of a simplicity in and purposeness with respect to this character and the relationship between the two of them because there are many nuances in all the different relationships that are in this story. And it's interesting how some are absolutely splayed wide open and other ones are a little cagey. And in this case, what you see is truly what you get. I mean, Greg is maybe a little less patient than he has been with his wife, yeah.
At least based on what you read in the scripts or how you're playing the character, would you say he's annoyed with her or embarrassed by her, especially the way she seems to overact whenever they're together in public?
No, I don't think he's really embarrassed by her. It's almost like when you have a child who just reacts to things so emotionally that you're just trying to get them back, you know, in the right lane. They're getting outta control and you've just gotta calm down and think clearly through this.
I think that Greg is very practical. I think it's part of the work that he does. He's very practical about everything, and I don't think he's easily ruffled as we definitely learned in season 1. I just think that at this point now you're seeing a guy who's – at least by what I kind of assumed between season 1 and season 2 – there's a lot of repetition of activity and I think that's what you get with him.
Yes, sometimes she gets reactive and it's like, "Come on, you're really gonna do this? We don't wanna draw attention to ourselves. This is ridiculous." But also, Greg is complex. And I think, like for instance, at the end of episode two, when he's on the phone.
Okay, let's talk about that phone call.
It's really special that, you know, people are forced to have to dig back into who Greg is. Because early one he says to someone, he says to Tanya, like, "My kids are gone. They're grown. I'm divorced." So, when he's saying he loves somebody, that could be anybody. It could be his kids. It's automatic to assume that he has another woman or has something on the side when, in fact, it's not that clear, is it?
So, with the call, you're saying it may not be so black and white?
No, it definitely might not be because that's the first thing I thought about… 'cause Mike White and I had many, many discussions about it and one of the things I surmised was, "Okay, he's telling someone he loves them. I'm not going to reveal who it is but it very much could easily be his daughter." He has a daughter and a son, you know.
That said, I was curious if you clarify how much time has passed between seasons 1 and 2 because there's references to his health and things and why they're on this trip at this point in their marriage.
I'm gonna say anywhere between six months and 10 months. I feel like it's still relatively new. But I don't think it's been over a year or more. I think it's sooner than that. I think it's definitely sooner than that. I mean, we talked about it a little bit, but it was never really like, "What do you think?" I mean, Mike's amazing in the way that he deciphers how his characters relate to each other. But at the same time, he's open enough to saying, "Well, you tell me how you feel about that? What do you think?" Because it is something that's not necessarily on paper and then we kind of come to a conclusion.
You mentioned Tanya overreacting in certain instances and episode three is a good example of that, when Greg mentions he's been divorced multiple times and she doesn't realize she's the fourth and cries at the table. That's just a classic Jennifer Coolidge moment, right? What was it like filming a scene like that with her?
As much as I like to consider myself a focused actor who pretty much can stay in character, I will say that of anybody I've ever worked with, she is the hardest for me to stay in character, to stay focused, to not lose it. Like, I've literally had to turn my head in certain scenes where the camera's kind of going over my shoulder or is kind of a three-quarter of my face but more onto her. I've had to kind of look away just because she will come up with something. For instance, "Do you guys have any Oreo cake?" That question came so far outta left field. Sitting ther, I remember thinking, "I am going to start laughing because it just threw me." I wasn't expecting and it threw me for a curve ball, you know.
So, the way I view working with Jennifer is that she's constantly showering everybody she works with with diamonds, you know, 'cause she's just a joy to be with and anybody that's in her orbit is gonna be sparkling right along with her. I can't say enough amazing things about her. I can't tell you how much I adore her as an actress, but also as a person. It's incredible.
But it is hard for me not to laugh. And it definitely did happen at the dinner the night before when she's saying, "I see things," and I'm leaning back and I can't help but smile and laugh out loud a little bit.
So, in episode three, we see Greg packing up and headed out for "two days." What does his departure mean for their marriage, for the trip and for Greg in the rest of season 2? What's going to happen now that he's going away?
Well, listen, I think again, what you see and what you hear is what you get. He has to go back for whatever reason, he's gotta go back. He's going back to take care of a problem. She, however, unfortunately sees the glass as always half empty. She's prone to separation anxiety. She has all of those problems that it turns into, "You're never coming back. The plane's gonna crash." I mean, whatever it is. And I think that's why he's like, "Shut up. Enough with this."
But whether or not he is coming back, you have to watch. We all have to watch and that's the amazing stew that Mike White is stirring for you.
I was also reading a little bit about how Tanya and Greg's storyline parallels the Monica Vitti film, L’Avventura. Were you aware of that going in and did that inform anything at all for the two of you?
It's interesting. I I love that movie first and foremost, and the idea that San Domenico Palace is where we filmed, which is where they also filmed L’Avventura. There were a lot of scenes that were shot there, scenes through all those hallways and everything, which is quite amazing.
But I think that if anything, it's purely her dream, you know. One of the most exciting things for me to read in the scripts was that we get to do this ride because it feels like we're doing like a movie that's maybe black and white and from another time. There's moments where it does feel really so special.
The only thing that I would say is that Monica Vitti is misunderstood. And I think that that is definitely parallel with Tanya who feels a bit misunderstood.
Speaking of those riding scenes, what was it like filming on a Vespa with Jennifer. I know I would be so worried about crashing and hurting the star of the series.
It was a lot of fun. We didn't do as much riding, you know, since the trailer pulled us on some of the mountain roads. We had to do that just for the sake of the camera and some of the stuff we had to do. But all the little bits of riding, where you can see the two of us, were fun.
But if I had one there [about crashing], I would have turned into a white ghost. I'd be white knuckling it. So, I wouldn't allow my mind to go there because I was like, "This woman is on the back and I have to show that I cannot ride this thing." That was always the scary part because they do have a lot of kick, those things, especially when we're in the courtyard and I'm trying to make it take off and he's kind of bouncing along and not quite getting it.
Finally, the one thing I've noticed about season 2 – and the fans have also picked up on it – it's quite naked this year. It seems like all the male stars are stripping down. And when you were coming back, were you aware you'd be so naked in front of the camera?
So in the raw? Well, I mean, of course when I read it was like, "Okay, here we go." Of course, it's all across the board. I think the only one who's spared nudity is F. Murray Abraham.
But [Greg and Tanya's sex scene] was the first scene we shot, too. So, I think both of us were rather anxious about it. I mean, truly it was like the third day of shooting and it was our first day up and the first scene we shot was literally us in bed together. So, it was like, there's not even a warm up to that. Whereas, I think a lot of the other scenes were shot later on. But the best thing was to get it done and not have to think about it, where I felt like a lot of the other cast members were concerned about it.
To wrap us up, how would you describe the remainder of the season and what kind of ride we're on.
How I describe the rest of the show is it compounds daily and it just gets pretty intense. It does and it will. I mean, I truly feel like it's one of those things where you can walk outside, and on episode seven, probably hear people screaming in their houses.
The White Lotus season 2 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max.
[This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
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