The Emmy Award-winning series, The White Lotus , is back for a second season, and so far, it’s lived up to its predecessor’s hype. Amongst the interesting guests staying in the Sicilian branch of the resort are two friends, Lucia ( Simona Tabasco ) and Mia ( Beatrice Grannò ).
The girls’ relationship dynamic is odd as they’re unlikely friends and the actresses playing the role opened up about it in an interview. While their lives vary from their on-screen characters’ own, Tabasco and Grannò are real friends.
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Friends In Reality
Grannò and Tabasco are both Italians who live in the country, studied in the same theater school, and were featured on some television shows together before The White Lotus.
Although the series wasn’t popular in the European country, they heard about the audition and filmed each other’s tapes. It felt like a dream come true for them to play friends on-screen, and they believe the showrunner, Mike White noticed the natural chemistry between them.
Being friends certainly helped them interpret their characters seamlessly.
Improvising On Set
White gave the duo creative freedom to improvise parts of their character, which relaxed them. They said the ability to provide the character with life based on individual interpretation apart from the script was refreshing.
Grannò and Tabasco confessed to improvising most of their scenes in episode two, especially the tub scene with Michael Imperioli. Rule one of improv per Grannò – always say yes!
Friendships With Other Characters
Tabasco formed a friendship with the other actors off-screen, unlike Grannò due to their different personalities. The former said connecting with the romantic scene partners, including Adam DiMarco, was an awesome feeling.
Grannò connected with Frederico Scribani, whom she credited as different from his on-screen personality. The actor told her he’d never played a comedy role before Mike White’s HBO series.
Dealing With Toxic Masculinity
The White Lotus season two explores toxic masculinity, and the women described how it affected them. Grannò assessed Mia as an open person who’s often misunderstood as flirty, while Tabasco commended Lucia as wise beyond her years.
Unlike her on-screen character, though, Tabasco is no-nonsense in real-life. She’s direct and confident about what she wants.
At the end of the interview with W Magazine , Tabasco and Grannò cheered each other, especially when the former declared she’d become a fashion mogul like Rihanna and the latter promised to be her number supporter.
