Parker Posey Loves Her White Lotus Accent Even More Than You Do

The Parker Posey renaissance is nigh. The Emmy-nominated actor, known for her turns in The House of Yes and Best in Show, has been a dream casting choice for HBO’s The White Lotus thanks to her comedic timing and audacious character studies. In Season 3, she proves it in true White Lotus fashion: moving across the resort like it’s home, clutching a Gucci bag and parasol, completely unmoved by the culture and beauty surrounding her.

Posey portrays Victoria Ratliff, who travels to Koh Samui, Thailand, with her family so her daughter, Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), can interview a Buddhist monk for her college thesis. Like most White Lotus fan-favorite characters, Victoria is rich as hell and hilariously oblivious. In a way, it’s a blessing. Victoria’s lack of awareness shields her from the obvious tension between her sons Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lachlan (Sam Nivola), as well as the brewing scandal involving her husband, Timothy (Jason Isaacs).

“Victoria, is she in Taiwan or Thailand? She doesn't know,” Posey, 56, tells Bustle over Zoom.

The character’s potent mix of Southern charm and snobbery makes her an unlikely suspect for this season’s murder, but in the White Lotus universe, anything is possible. “I love the world of a murder mystery and creating a character that could be unhinged enough to do something drastic,” Posey says.

Below, Posey talks about her favorite behind-the-scenes moments, Victoria’s instantly iconic accent, and her Season 4 pitch involving Jennifer Coolidge.

What was your first impression of Victoria and her family?

The Ratliffs arrive and see the world through their lens and colonize wherever they go.

[I loved] playing with a certain class of people, a certain Americana. People love a Southern accent. They love making fun of it.

I love that you already mentioned your accent. What was your process for mastering it?

It was like an amalgamation of different things, accents I'd heard and the dialogue. The Southern accent is so lyrical, and there are many different kinds. Like the Southern woman, it has a lot of feeling and self-created drama. And I was like, Well, this is a meme show. I wanted to give something bold that people would have fun imitating. I had a lot of fun with the butlers in Thailand; they would laugh because everyone loved talking in that accent.

What drew you to Victoria as a character?

There’s a point in the show where she's like, “I can never live that way if something happened.” But underneath all that, yes, she could. There's a feminine wile in the way she dramatizes her life and her children. I loved getting Victoria in the water. She's not really in her skin. She's fragmented. She's living in a man's world, she's fragile yet strong.

I was excited to do it in the White Lotus way, and Mike White gave me these really funny lines.

What were some of your favorite behind-the-scenes moments with this cast?

Morgana, an actor from New Zealand, Natasha [Rothwell], and I took a van to get a massage at this spa. The Thai massage is so powerful. They compress and stretch you at the same time, and they go in your gut, so you just meditate, drift, and sleep. Seeing Natasha's face after that massage, she just sat down and was like, “Oh, my God,” and we just cried. We all felt so lucky to have this kind of bodywork.

It must have been amazing living in Thailand while filming.

I never got over the nature there. It's just so beautiful and green. And the kindness of the people, the way they greet you, there's this warmth. I was buying some of those Thai pants at a place where we went to a waterfall and saw some elephants. I said, “I love your kingdom so much.” She just went, “Oh, thank you,” and hugged me.

Were there any challenges while filming the show?

It was extremely hot. We moved around a lot. We got Covid, we got parasites. We went to the hospitals, and by a certain point, people were like, “Oh my God, did you see the hospital?” “Yeah, it was amazing.” Leslie Bibb was like, “I got this cold. They put something up my nose. They sucked it out, and I'm all better now.” It was an endurance.

You and Jennifer Coolidge have acted in so many movies together. Did you get any advice from her before you joined the show?

No, we texted a little, and she said, “You're going to have a blast.” But do you want to hear my pitch for where I want Season 4 to be?

Yes.

Set in the Swiss Alps. I was on the Sundance jury with writer Russell Banks, and he told me about climbing this mountain in the Alps. When you reach a certain altitude, you start to hallucinate, and it’s a very spiritual thing. He saw this woman, and she had this fur hat and coat, and gave him a piece of chocolate. When she left, he turned to his friends and asked, “Wasn't that chocolate amazing?” That woman wasn't there, and they were like, “Oh, you just had a visit.” So, I think Jennifer Coolidge should play that part. Can you see it?

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.