Interview: Carrie Coon on Laurie’s Epiphany in ‘The White Lotus’ and Traveling Back to ‘The Gilded Age’
The last time I spoke to Carrie Coon, she wasn’t allowed to speak about her then-recently announced addiction to the cast of the newest season of The White Lotus. She told me “they’ll kill me [for spoiling],” alluding to the hush-hush around the plot of the new season that she couldn’t reveal. It’s been a year since that chat, and I’ve sat down with Coon again to now speak about the role she couldn’t talk about quite yet.
Spoilers be damned as the newest season of The White Lotus is over, we saw Coon as Laurie, a woman on vacation in Thailand with her two oldest friends, tensions boiling between the women from the first episode until the last. Her two friends, Texas-based Kate (Leslie Bibb) and LA actress Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), both have vastly different lives than Laurie, who remains in New York, which is something she grows to appreciate at the end of the season – she has an epiphany about the movement of time, the vastness of that passage and the sentimentality that comes with spending even a little bit of it with the chosen people we love. Through the season, Laurie shifts through frustration and envy of her friends before she’s able to make sense of how she fits into their worlds. The realization is profound, and it changes how she views her friendships and place in the world. It’s a light moment of sincerity that’s a culmination of everything Coon had built into the character over the season. It’s no wonder she wasn’t allowed to speak about the role.
I talked to Coon about her creating chemistry with Michelle Monaghan and Leslie Bibb, the catharsis of the final scene, how kids don’t care about jet lag, and moving from The White Lotus back to The Gilded Age.
Tyler Doster: When last we spoke and discussed your newly announced involvement on The White Lotus, we talked a little bit about your audition tape, about you creating a little bit of a character to then audition for the show and we had talked about some scenes that were on the show. You, of course, weren’t allowed to say then, but do you remember what scenes from the show you used to do your readings once you got far enough along?
Carrie Coon: Yes, I know that there’s one that’s not in the show anymore, it was a phone call with my daughter, that was one of the sides, and then there was one gossipy group scene. Maybe it was talking about Kate’s husband, so maybe it was the scene with Jaclyn, I think. They were very Laurie-centric, though there were some details changed. I think they did do amalgamated scenes for the ladies, but it was definitely a Laurie scene.
TD: The White Lotus was pretty snugly placed in between filming of The Gilded Age. What was your timeline like with filming both of those shows? I know you got back to The Gilded Age very quickly after getting through Thailand.
CC: It was 48 hours after landing and I was on the set of The Gilded Age, and I was just terrible at my job [laughs]. They fortunately had not had time to build my costumes yet, so I was just in some pajamas and robes for the first few days. They decided to just do the scenes in my bedroom so I could ease into it a little bit, and just because they weren’t ready for anything else. So that was nice. I got to be in pajamas. From bathing suits to pajamas was a pretty gentle transition. But honestly, the walking and talking of it, I was completely lost and I just said, “I just need more time, everybody. I just need you to let me do more takes than we normally allow on television because I have no idea who I am or what I’m doing here.” Because of course I was also coming back to my kids who didn’t care about jet lag or anything.
TD: They didn’t have the patience for what you were going through.
CC: They don’t care about naps.
TD: No. So getting back to Thailand, how did the three of you cultivate such a history of that friendship going through the seven episodes that ramble through frustrations and tensions, but at the end it becomes something that’s more rooted in sentiment?
CC: Well, I think as my husband would say, Tracy Letts, Acting Extraordinaire, it’s part of the gig. Building intimacy’s part of the gig. That’s the job. But we also had the benefit of living together for six months and forging a new friendship while the old one was unraveling, and so we had forced intimacy anyway. I was rooming with Leslie [Bibb], Michelle [Monaghan] and Parker [Posey] were next door. We were swimming together and going to the grocery store together and going to the gym together, so we were just together all the time. We didn’t have our families or our partners there.
And also, the three of us, I say with absolute love and respect, are really good students. We were all really prepared. That’s just the way we all like to work. We found we worked really similarly, and so that made it easy as well, knowing that everybody was showing up off book, ready to be present. And we also had the gift of longer dialogue scenes and they were just fun to play. The other thing is we were the first group to shoot, so we were the first to arrive in Thailand, and we were the first couple of, I don’t know, at least 10 days maybe it was just the ladies in the villa. So we were the first villa up. And so we were really shot out of a cannon. There’s a big learning curve anytime a set is starting up as everybody learns each other’s language. And of course it’s The White Lotus, but it’s in an entirely different country, different crew, everything’s different, and so there was a lot to learn for everyone. So that was very galvanizing as well. It felt like a show about three women, and then suddenly all these other people showed up.
TD: So many of your television roles have been dialogue-heavy, as we were just kind of talking about. Do you attribute that to your more theatrical roots?
CC: Oh, I suppose in Hollywood parlance I’m thought of as someone who is facile with language, and that probably has to do with my theater background. I certainly often play very articulate people, people who speak very quickly, maybe just because I can, maybe because I don’t have any other speed. But yeah, probably. I also tend to play older, and so I think sometimes when I think of characters who speak more or have speeches, they tend to be older. And I’ve always played older than my age I think because probably I look older than my age and probably because my voice is rooted. I have a lower voice, so people think of me that way.
So it was actually fun. I think of The White Lotus strangely as lighter fare relative to things I’ve done, because obviously Mike is, he’s a satirist ultimately, and there’s a lot of comedy in it, even though it’s also quite dark, which I like.
TD: Do you think it was necessary for Laurie to go through the discomfort of the first few episodes through the arguments, and tension to get to the epiphany she reveals in the finale?
CC: Absolutely. Absolutely. I think of it as a dark night of the soul. She suffers a final humiliation at the hands of that young man who confirms all of her suspicions that the only reason he’s sleeping with her is because he wants money, which is just a really, it’s a really tough pill to swallow. And she’s put herself in potentially a very dangerous situation.
So in retrospect, she’s made some terrible choices, partly because she’s been drinking, and probably made a lot of terrible choices because she’s been drinking, and the things her girlfriends have said to her are starting to catch up with her as the truth. And she is someone who’s prided herself in being honest and hasn’t really taken any responsibility for her own behavior up until that point. And I do think it’s a rough awakening for her, but it is an awakening. But what’s interesting about it is it also feels almost aspiritual. She is not speaking about a spiritual philosophy or a spiritual awakening, she’s almost talking about an awakening she has in spite of not having a thriving spiritual life. And yet the philosophy of letting go of her resentments is actually quite Buddhist in its expression. And so she finds her way into a spiritual awakening, but not through the means of the sort of expression of the country she’s in, the religion or the philosophy of the country she’s in. She does it in spite of that, which I think is really an interesting tension when you consider the other characters that are really going through, I think, actual spiritual awakenings of varying degrees.
TD: Yeah, that scene, there’s a sigh of relief that comes with getting to hear her say that, so I was wondering, did that sigh of relief come to finally let that scene out? And how long did you sit with that? Did you know immediately? Did you get that script as soon as you got the other ones?
CC: We had them all upfront. So I knew I was preparing, once again, for a final monologue, which I’ve done in the past, people know. And so there is a bit of a pressure building when you know that in some way it is my responsibility to summarize the story of those three women that we have some denouement after that. However, we also had the benefit of, like I said, we were living that friendship and it was shot near the end of our time together, so it was also the natural conclusion of my time with Michelle and Leslie on set where we had forged this, again, new friendship over the course of six months with all of the ups and downs that come with traveling. And so there was a lot in it anyway in real life, because stepping out of your life that long and that far away is not a small feat, it’s a major ask, and it’s not simple. And so whereas the audience is watching six days unfold in real time, quote unquote, we were actually living all of those circumstances for six months, some people for seven months actually.
And so for us, every scene is fraught with what was really happening on set and just the conditions which were incredibly extreme. I mean, the climate change, the impacts down there are really serious and that was the hottest year on record up to that point. Schools were closed. I mean, it was punishingly hot and very humid. And what you don’t see in that final speech is the pile of tissues accumulating next to our chairs because we were all just dripping sweat and trying not to move if we didn’t have to because we were so, I mean, we were just soaking wet. So we were under extreme duress. So there was just a lot of truth about being able to speak deeply about my appreciation for those women and to those women in that moment, in spite of anything else going on.
TD: How was it filming when the gun fired? There’s been humor on the internet saying, “Laurie is a true New Yorker, she bolted the moment it went off.” Was there any intent behind that when it came to running? Was there any personal influence that said “it’s time to go”?
CC: I live in New York now. I’m a Midwesterner. Columbine was my last year of high school. 1999 is when I graduated, so that’s when it all started, this school shooting business, this epidemic that is very particular to our country. And so in some ways, my whole life I’ve been prepared for the possibility that there will be a mass shooting wherever I am, because we live in a country where mass shootings can happen wherever you are. And so it was very funny when Mike was directing some of the background in the other parts of the spa, I saw some very polite Thai workers kind of covering their heads and trotting kind of down the gangway, and I thought, “Oh, no.” I said, “You need to have some Americans just busting through there nude or in towels. They are not going to mess around, they’re going to get out, because we are primed psychologically for that possibility.” So that was all I was thinking was just as a New Yorker, as an American, I’m getting out of there. I’m getting out of there. It’s not like I’m going to save my friends jumping in front of them. We’re just both going to get shot. But maybe if I survive, I can find a tourniquet. I just felt like that was what I would really do if I was a person and suddenly gunfire broke out.
TD: Everyone has been asking Mike White about this, about doing an all-star season of the show, so now I present that to you. Would you ever say yes to an all-star season? And if so, who would you want to also see on the all-star season with you?
CC: Oh. Oh, what a mean question in a way, because I find all the storylines so fascinating. I would of course do anything Mike White asked of me, I adore him, I’ve always loved his work. I think Enlightened is an astonishing television show. I’m very grateful that I was on the Buddhist death season of The White Lotus. And yes, I would come back if I was asked, though it was very hard on my family, so I’d have to figure out the circumstances.
But gosh, who? Well, we always want to track Belinda. And she’s a cipher for the audience and we’re all invested in that outcome. And she maybe made some cynical choices this year, though we also celebrate her triumph, which is part of what Mike is always doing. Some of my favorite people die. I think everybody wants to know if Victoria Ratliff manages to stay wealthy, so that would be interesting. What else? Who else? I mean, there’s so many people. I actually really, I think Patrick did such a marvelous job showing us a glimmer of Saxon’s awakening. It would be really interesting to see if that character’s able to move further along that trajectory. In some ways he’s very hopeful in that he provides the possibility of a glimmer of change. And I just thought Patrick did that really beautifully. That’s a very difficult character to pull off any likability, and I think he really did an amazing job. So that would be fun to see. Gosh, trying to think back to all the other seasons. My goodness. Couples just swinging, that’s always fun fodder. Who knows what those couples will get up to if they vacation again?
TD: Do you have a particular country you’d want to go to?
CC: Someplace cold. I was not built for the climate in Thailand. I stayed inside from 9:00 to 4:00. Now famously, I swam at 5:00 PM in long sleeves and long pants. The UV is so high, I couldn’t go outside because of course I was headed to the set of The Gilded Age, so I couldn’t even get the teeniest tan. So I had to stay pasty the whole time. So someplace with snow maybe. I’d much rather be cold than hot when acting. When your brain is boiling, it’s much harder to talk.
TD: What was that like going back from a more contemporary sense of hair and wardrobe back to The Gilded Age?
CC: I mean, look, those costumes, I mean, it’s going from the most unstructured you could possibly be, which is where do we hide a microphone in this bikini? To six-inch heels, or maybe I guess they’re four inches, I’m exaggerating. Four-inch heels and a corset and the hats. Honestly, wearing the wig for 16 hours is one of the hardest things for me. And the high heels for 16 hours, that gets really hard. The corset you get used to after a couple of weeks.
And it was hot. It was also hot but in a different way because you’re in all these layers, so you just have to shove ice packs in weird places, and they’re both challenging.
TD: It’s more like an internal heat coming from within.
CC: Yeah, yeah, you’re just, so and it’s nowhere to go. But it’s also funny because they also each have their own challenge. Though Mike White’s work is very contemporary, it is satire, so there is an elevated sense of language for Mike, and maybe there is sort of exaggerated character sometimes. The choices we make can be quite large and fit in that world, and yet The Gilded Age channel is also, it’s very particular. You feel it when it’s too small and you feel it when it’s too big. And you have good days and bad days.Some days you walk away thinking, “Well, I’m just the worst actor in the whole world.” But it’s always fun to do.
TD: Is there anything you can tease about the upcoming season of The Gilded Age?
CC: Oh, no, but Bertha always wins, it’s just that the consequences are getting harder to navigate, I would say. And also, we add even more amazing theater people to our roster. We just have some great surprises in store in terms of casting. I suppose a lot of the casting’s been announced, but it’s just always fun to see people actually step into that world.
It was such a delight to have Merritt Wever with us. I got to play with Merritt [Weaver] a lot, and that was great. I just always admired her work, I think she’s so truthful, and so it was a delight to have her on set just exposing me as a total ham.
TD: The still they’ve released where she’s sitting down in the pew and she’s just not having it, I love it.
CC: Yeah. It’s a delight. It was so great having her. We loved everyone we got to add this year, and we hope to get another season just so we can keep collecting Tonys and bringing them to our set.
TD: Well, I am excited to get back to the original Real Housewives of New York.
CC: Yes, that’s right. That’s right. This is where the paparazzi and all that performative, I don’t know, wealth started, was back in that time, so you’re right. And lucky for us, we’re headed right back to a real true new Gilded Age anyway. Economic stratification and exploitation of labor isn’t that thrilling, so we might as well just relish it for its nice sets and beautiful costumes, because the real thing is not as fun.
TD: Not as extravagant. The costumes are less fun.
CC: Yeah, definitely. More polyester.
TD: More devastation, for sure.
CC: Yep. It’s really real and in your face and happening all around you, so I’m glad to provide a little entertainment.
Carrie Coon is Emmy-eligible in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The White Lotus.
- FINAL 2025 Emmy Nomination Predictions: Is ‘Matlock’ Poised to Break the Network Curse? - July 11, 2025
- 2025 Emmy Predictions: Are Voters Ready to Check Back into ‘The White Lotus’ and Clock into Lumon? - June 26, 2025
- 2025 Emmy Predictions: ‘Dying for Sex,’ ‘Say Nothing’ and ‘The Penguin’ are Anything but Limited - June 25, 2025
AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 296 – 2025 Emmy Nomination Reactions with Special Guest Katey Rich 
Tramell Tillman (‘Severance’) Could Become the First Black Actor to Win the Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series 
2025 Primetime Emmy Nominations: Apple Leads Drama and Comedy Series Totals with Massive Numbers for ‘Severance,’ ‘The Studio’ 
1-2 Special Acquires North American Rights to Harris Dickinson’s Cannes-Winning Directorial Debut ‘Urchin’