Easter details and eggs, foreigners can miss in “The white lotus”

I am Thai, I grew up in Bangkok and abroad, and I remember that American classmates confused Thailand with Taiwan.

This is why, when the character of Parker Posey in the third season of “The White Lotus” said, “Do you want to live in Taiwan?!” In response to her daughter’s plan to spend a year in Thailand, it seemed perfect.

The third season, taking place mainly in Koh Samui and Bangkok, incorporates cultural shades and shots. As a room, some details stood out in the show that foreigners may have missed.

The character of the hotelier is based on a real person

A well -known Thai actor, Lek Patravadi, plays the owner of the Sritala hotel in the show. The character was inspired by Kamala Sukosol, the real -song hotelier in Thailand.

Insurance of the High Society and the Matriarch of the Sukosol group, the 86 -year -old woman is also known for her jazz performances that she is for her award -winning hotels.

His hotel-shop, Siam, by the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok, was previously spotted as a potential shot for the third season of “The White Lotus”.

In October, during an interview on “Trends” for TraveldailyNeNews, Sukosol said that she had met Mike White when he visited her hotel and told him about perhaps acting in the show.

“He said,” Khun Kamala, do you act? “I said, no way. I said, I am positive, I am a singer,” Sukosol told David Barret, the host of the show. She then explained that White continued to try to convince her in the coming months.

“He wanted me to act like me, as a singing hotelier,” she said.

In February, his hotel published a photo on Instagram by Mike White with Patavadi and Sukosol. “Straight behind the scenes with Khun Kamala, the heart and soul of Siam, whose legendary performances inspired the Sritala character in season 3 White Lotus 3.”

Some of the words of the songs are linked to the intrigue of the show

The Thai Thai soundtrack of season three includes national bangers as well as more folklore sounds of all regions of the country. In several cases, the words have stressed or foreshadowing what will happen next.

Atchariya Pinitsanpirom, Thai producer of the show, told Business Insider that she had initially sent the sound to a reading list of around 50 Thai Thai Songs.

“I translated for them when we looked at the final cup because I wanted them to know it perfectly,” said Ppitsanpirom about the words of matching songs to trace developments.

In episode 7 of “The White Lotus”, Sritala shows Frank (Sam Rockwell) a video of his young self-interpreting “Lamthad”, “ both The title of the song, as well as a type of folk Rap in Thai. Lamthad is also a compound word – and “Thad” means coupe.

On television, the actor is shown in his youngest years singing the word “Lamthad” several times and making a minced hand movement. This corresponds well to the interior torment of Rick (Walton Goggins) and a decision of which he is at the edge.

The song also includes the expression “Wing Gun Utalood”, which translates into “run his buttocks” – which in turn aligns with the actions of Rick and Frank in the episode.

The security guard does not speak clearly

The security goalkeeper, Gaitok (Thapthimthong’s Thapthimthong) has a foreign accent when he speaks Thai. This is because the actor was born and grew up in the United Kingdom.

“When I speak Thai with the others, I tend to throw English words when I cannot think of the word Thai in time. In a scene, I replied:” Yeah “, and the comments of the team were:” Okay, you have just clearly revealed that you are not a Thai security guard! “” Thapthimthong said that the The standard Pop Thai media site last month.

I also found it a little too international to represent a timid and provincial security guard.

Lalisa Manobal, also known as the Lisa of Blackpink, plays Mook, the romantic interest of the security guard who also works as a member of the hotel staff. She pronounces Thai well despite the move to South Korea at the age of 14 to become an intern of the K-Pop.

Thapthimthong attributed to Lisa to have helped her with her lines. “Lisa and her assistant helped me so much and I’m really grateful,” he said.

Another character seems to be inspired by a Thai businessman of American origin

While a large part of the show was filmed at the Resort Four Seasons Koh Samui, additional hotel scenes have been filmed in three properties of anantara in Phuket and Koh Samui.

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This luxury hotels channel belongs to William Heinecke, a business tycoon born in the United States, whose company, Minor, supervises more than 500 hotels and stations.

The name “minor” is appropriate – Heinecke launched an advertising company and an office cleaning company in Bangkok at the age of 17. He then renounced his American citizenship to become Thai, a decision which allowed him to have land in Thailand.

With a net value of $ 1.5 billion, Heinecke ranked 17 on the list of the 50 richest of Forbes in 2024.

Although Heinecke is not married to Sukosol in real life, his character seems to have influenced the character of Sritala’s American husband, Jim Hollinger.

“I think Mike has drawn many eminent people like Jim Thompson and William Heinecke. This character is a mixture of all these figures”, Pinitsanpirom, The producer of the show, said.

Jim Thompson was an American entrepreneur who relaunched the Thai silk industry in the middle of the 20th century and mysteriously disappeared in Malaysia in the 1960s.

Two details of the show did not add

During a stage set In Samui, Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola) says that the tsunami occurred on a neighboring beach. However, the 2004 tsunami only affected western Thailand Coast, including Phuket. Samui is on the east coast of Thailand and was not touched by tsunami.

In an episode, Rick and Chelsea (Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood) take a look at a tuk-tuk on a snake farm. However, unlike other parts of Thailand, tuk-tuks are not a common mode of transport on Samui. Due to the many hilly roads of the island, the three-wheeled motorized rickshaws are not ideal. Instead, Songthaews – shared van taxis – are the most typical means of moving.

Commenting on this detail, Pinitsanpirom said: “It is impossible to be 100%precise, but in the end, the factual inaccuracies are not too extinct. Narratically speaking, Rick and Chelsea are in a hurry to go out, but the use of a taxi would be too boring.