What is supposed to be a wonderful honeymoon in a tropical paradise becomes the unravelling of a marriage.
That’s the situation Alexandra Daddario finds herself in as Rachel, one of the lead characters in The White Lotus, HBO’s social satire about “rich but miserable” people. The limited series premiered last Monday, July 12, on HBO and HBO GO with new episodes airing Mondays at 9 a.m.
Rachel is a journalist in the throes of wedded bliss but who starts to see her enviable life in a different light while staying at a luxury Hawaiian resort called The White Lotus.
Throughout the comedy-drama’s six episodes, viewers see Alexandra go from blushing new bride to troubled wife, with her big, expressive eyes aiding her nuanced interpretation of her character’s escalating anxiety amid the realization that she married the “wrong guy.” In the eyes of others though, she is a trophy wife who has struck gold for being “chosen” by her “great catch” of a husband.
During a virtual presscon hosted by HBO Asia, The STAR asked the 35-year-old actress about her thoughts on the so-called trophy wives.
“I don’t judge anybody. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting married to someone with more money, or whatever the case may be, as long as everyone’s happy. And there’s nothing wrong with being a wife and mother either. It’s a wonderful thing.
“And I think Rachel is really struggling with this idea that she hasn’t done enough in her life. Her fear of being a trophy wife comes from more of her fear of having done nothing, or, idea of how her life was supposed to go and idea of what she is as a feminist and idea of what a woman now is supposed to be...The problem here is that Rachel isn’t happy. And that’s the bigger concern,” she said.
And no, she didn’t draw from real life or real people “inspiration” to help herself get into character.
“It was more just what is the deep emotional place that this woman is coming from that is causing her to be so unhappy in her marriage and constantly worried about being a trophy wife. I think she’s just unhappy in general with him. I don’t think she likes him very much. And she’s confused. That was more where I came from, versus like, ‘Oh, this girl is walking around trying to be a trophy wife because I don’t think that.’”
Nevertheless, according to Alexandra, it wasn’t hard for her to relate to her character.
“I definitely can very much relate to being in a relationship where you’re not sure. And then also questioning myself, why am I not sure or I should stay in it? I think that’s very common, where you’re in a relationship for a little while and things are sort of okay, but you’re not that happy but you’re scared to get out of it, and you’re not sure why,” the actress said.
“I think it’s because you don’t have enough perspective. You’re scared of what else is out there. You’re scared of being alone. But yes, I certainly have been in at least one relationship where I was certainly doubting it and scared to get out of it or scared that my instincts were wrong. I can relate to that, and the anxiety that it causes.”
Alexandra said yes to the role and the series because it was written and directed by Mike White, the writer-producer of comedies and dramedies on film and television, such as School of Rock, Nacho Libre, HBO’s Enlightened and even Dawson’s Creek. “I really wanted to work with him. His script was amazing. But also just him being such an incredible director. I also thought it was a really interesting social commentary and I felt that it was very relevant to the current world that we’re living in,” she added.
The TV project made her experience filming in a quarantine bubble in Hawaii which, she recalled, was difficult because there were a lot of safety protocols to follow.
“Honestly, it was quite difficult with the quarantine in Hawaii because you’re in this beautiful place, we shot at the Four Seasons in Maui. You’re also shooting a show about very privileged people. And you don’t want to feel unhappy because you know how lucky you are. But the isolation was quite difficult because you are scared of getting people sick, you’re scared of testing positive, you can’t be within six feet of anybody,” Alexandra shared.
“That was the most difficult part, that you couldn’t go out for a drive, you couldn’t go out, you couldn’t go to the beach, you couldn’t leave the property. You were really stuck for two and a half months just on the property. So, it did become a little isolating.”
Still, her excitement about going to work during this time of pandemic outweighed any challenges. “I’m very impressed by our industry and how they managed to work during such a difficult time and keep everyone safe,” she said.
She was also grateful that she was in the company of incredible people there and that “we all leaned on each other.”
“As far as my favorite memories working there, just that the people were so kind… And we were sort of all going through life without our families and friends, and we all needed connection. And they were just really open people who you could connect with and I feel very lucky to have done something like that under these kinds of circumstances,” she added.
Meanwhile, unlike her character Rachel, Alexandra is happy and in love with film producer Andrew Form, going by her Instagram posts and answers. She gamely answered The STAR’s question about her ideal honeymoon destination.
“I like adventures. And I get to have a lot of adventures. I was saying this to my boyfriend actually, that we should just like, if we ever go on a honeymoon… Since the two of us are constantly on the road and we travel so much, I’m so lucky, I get to go on all these adventures and all these places. I’ve already been with him in Budapest, Vienna and Prague,” she shared.
“And so I was like, it would be great just to sit at home and do nothing for a couple of weeks. That would be an amazing honeymoon, just be at home and be with family. And so strangely, that’s like my ideal. But I also love the Amalfi Coast and Italy, and all of that. But I would like to just sort of stay put for a moment at home with him.”
After being an actress for a decade, she noted that there have been positives as well as negatives in her career, but she will always regard the film series Percy Jackson as a highlight because it was what set her on the acting journey.
What’s next for Alexandra? She said, “I’m glad to be out of or getting out of this pandemic, and getting back to work. I have a movie coming out called Die in a Gunfight. And I’m also getting to the point where I’d like to start a family. So that’s all in the future for me.”
The White Lotus follows the (mis)adventures of VIP vacationers over the span of a week at an exclusive resort. Each passing day gives rise to dark complexities, threatening to unmask the “picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees and the idyllic locale itself.” The series also stars Murray Bartlett (Looking), Connie Britton, (Nashville), Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls), Fred Hechinger (Eighth Grade), Jake Lacy (Girls), Brittany O’Grady (Little Voice), Natasha Rothwell (Insecure), Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria) and Steve Zahn (Treme).