HBO may have whisked off The White Lotus cast to Thailand to film its third season, but its roots are closer to home! The Ravenels Ratliffs should remind you of Southern Charm considering that’s exactly who the fictional family was modeled after.
But, SC isn’t the only Bravo TV show that’s been credited by the cast …
Here’s a rundown of all of the connections between Bravo TV and The White Lotus.
How it started:
Sam Nivola, who plays the youngest Ratliff brother, was told by TWL’s creator to watch the beloved Bravo series to model his character, Lochlan. “Jason Isaacs, who played our dad, kind of modeled his whole accent and character off of [that cast],” he told People.
Cameran Wimberly Entered the Chat:
Cam starred on Southern Charm for six seasons before exiting the franchise in 2020. She shared the People article on her Instagram story adding her insider opinion.
“Many of y’all are echoing what I thought as soon as I heard the dad speak. ‘Damn, he sounds like Thomas Ravenel!’ That dialect is NOT North Carolina. It’s old Charleston.”
Jason Isaacs confirmed he drew inspo from T Rav:
The actor best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films explained how he was able to master such a specific accent.
“Mike [White] had asked us to watch Southern Charm … a great reality show.”
“Somebody in it – people from Southern Charm – went, ‘He’s clearly doing Thomas Ravenel,’” the actor who plays Timothy Ratliff explained.
He added, “And Thomas, I am doing you, mostly, but not for two vowels, which are completely English.”
Ravenel or Ratliff?
The disgraced politician took his take on being mentioned in relation to season 3 of The White to social media. I think it’s fair to say, Thomas isn’t a fan.
“I’m confused,” began T Rav. “Some actor told a reporter he impersonated my voice with the exception of 2 vowels. Then he told another reporter he borrowed the accent from a politician in North Carolina. I’m scratching my head over this.”
Piper Nooooo:
Parker Posey detailed the fun she had working on her accent for The White Lotus as well as her muses.
The iconic Dazed in Confused and Best In Show actress began, “It starts with the dialogue. There are such funny words like ‘tsuuunaaami’ [and] ‘Bewddhizm’” in the script.
“When I was working on the Chris Guest movies, Chris and I would joke and go, ‘Noooooo, nooo. Piper, Noooo,’” in quirky southern accents.
Regarding the specificity of her accent on TWL, she credited a long-running Bravo reality show for inspo. “Of course, I love Southern women.”
“We all watch Southern Charm.” The host interrupted, “The reality show?!” An enthusiastic Parker responded, “Yeah.”
The House Of Yes actress concluded, “Being able to be this dramatic and funny is just so juicy and fun to do.”
More than one Bravo personality molded TWL’s Kate:
Leslie Bibb credited Bravo’s The Rachel Zoe Project as a muse for her character. “I based my character totally on some part of Rachel Zoe, like that world.”
“I was watching the Real Housewives always before scenes. Sometimes I’d just watch it and I just see what seeps in. That sounds crazy. And then I don’t even know what’s permeating.”
“A lot of Beverly Hills was happening, and that felt in the right world.” Leslie added that she was inspired by a specific Real Housewives of Orange County star. “Maybe there’s a little Heather Dubrow in [Kate].”
Austen Kroll and Shep Rose love that TWL has been creatively linked to SC:
The Southern Charmers agreed, “It’s epic.” Regarding Jason’s accent, Austin thinks “It’s spot on.” Shep agreed! “When I hear them talk, I’m just tickled. I think it’s wonderful; I love that show.”
They responded to the online fodder that the characters (not only their accents) were inspired by characters on Southern Charm. Messy Austen asked, “Do you think Patrick Schwarzenegger is Shep?” Shep quickly responded, “No, I don’t. Do you?”
Austen stated, “[Mike White] told the cast to watch [Southern Charm], so I was curious.” Shep clapped back. “What about you? You could be [Patrick Schwarzenegger’s character] easily.” Austen’s response? “OK, but I said it first.”
