SPOILER ALERT: This story comprises spoilers for Season 3 finale of “The White Lotus,” now streaming on Max.
When Mike White referred to as him, asking if he’d return to “The White Lotus” for a 3rd season in Thailand, Jon Gries stated, “I’m obtainable anytime, anyplace. You identify it, I’m there.”
However not like his journeys to Hawaii and Sicily, Gries’ involvement in Season 3 required an excessive degree of secrecy. In the beginning of manufacturing, he flew to Thailand disguised in a hat, darkish sun shades and a COVID masks, and made it to set undetected. However that was solely the start.
“Once I lastly bought to Thailand, the very first thing I needed to do was meet my castmates,” Gries tells Selection. “Everyone likes to really feel one another out, as a result of we’re all on this factor collectively.”
He’d get invited to hang around with the solid and crew earlier than govt producer David Bernad would name: “I’m so sorry, Jon, however you’ll be able to’t go.”
“I ended up staying in my room rather a lot,” Gries says.
Initially, White needed to cover Gries from even the solid of “The White Lotus,” however he quickly realized, between wardrobe fittings and make-up, that Gries was sure to cross paths with the opposite actors. “To start with, they had been toying with the concept of conserving me an utter secret, like in solitary confinement,” the actor says.
Gries was finally allowed to socialize with the remainder of the ensemble, however the collection’ tight-lipped strategy to his character’s return paid off. When Greg is revealed as “Gary” within the Season 3 opener, it got here as a shock to viewers, who thought they’d seen the final of Tanya McQuoid’s murderous partner.
Flash ahead to the finale, Greg is in a tense dialog with one other “White Lotus” alum, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell). She is aware of he had one thing to do with Tanya’s dying and serves as a reminder that Greg’s tranquil life in Thailand — the place he rides his yacht and swims laps in a hillside mansion courtesy of his ex’s fortune — may very well be taken away at any minute.
Within the penultimate episode of the season, Greg supplied Belinda $100,000 in trade for her silence, saying she might use the cash to satisfy her dream of opening her personal spa, which is what Tanya would have needed. (Aww?) Belinda has ethical qualms about accepting this deal, however with the assistance of her son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay), she returns to Greg with a counteroffer: $5 million. Greg ultimately acquiesces, and the 2 characters vow to vanish from one another’s lives ceaselessly.
Beneath, Gries discusses his third go-around at “The White Lotus,” and whether or not Greg’s is a contented ending. He additionally is smart of his character’s cuckold fantasy and particulars what might need occurred if Belinda got here again to the negotiating desk alone.
Once I was masking the primary season of this present, I printed an inventory rating the characters from good to evil, and Greg was third on the great facet, solely behind Belinda and Quinn! What occurred?
You fell into the Mike White entice.
Was it obvious to you whereas filming the primary season that Greg may not be who he says he’s?
No. As anybody would, I learn the character and thought, he’s bought to be too good to be true. When is the opposite shoe going to drop? However then I believed, perhaps he’s the true deal. That he’s honest in his plight. The physician says he’s finished at any minute, and he’s simply residing life like water off a duck’s again. At that time, there was no legacy with the present. We had no thought what was going to come back subsequent, so I stated to Mike, “I don’t have any methods up my sleeves right here. I’m simply enjoying this straight as a gun.” And he stated OK.
Regardless of the secrecy surrounding your return, I did see some behind-the-scenes images of you out and about in Thailand. Had been you ever acknowledged in public?
There was a day the place all of us went out on a ship after which stopped at a neighborhood sandwich place on the best way again, in Phuket. An Australian man walked as much as me and stated, “I do know you, you’re from ‘The White Lotus.’ And I do know they’re filming right here.” In fact, he didn’t acknowledge any of the opposite folks, regardless that they had been the solid. I simply stated, “Yeah, they’re right here. I’m visiting. What an ideal time to go to folks I do know who’re working right here!” I actually bought it with out lacking a beat. He stated, “I’ve a golf firm, it is best to come go to.” And I stated, “I’m solely right here for per week, I’m simply going to stay it out the place I’m.”
What was it like when the primary episode aired?
I had associates reaching out to me saying, “I can’t consider you lied to me.” That occurred all through the entire run of the present, as a result of some folks don’t watch when it airs. They binge later, which is simply too unhealthy for them. I feel binge-watching “The White Lotus” is dishonest your self.
A few of your co-stars have described treacherous filming circumstances in Thailand. How did taking pictures Season 3 evaluate to the primary two seasons?
The surroundings performed an enormous function. The unique begin date was deliberate earlier, and the season would have been a lot simpler to work in. However due to the actors strike, we didn’t begin till March and April, with April being the most popular month in Thailand. The locals stated, “It’s by no means been this scorching.” It felt like an environmental emergency. The water of the ocean was ridiculously scorching, like a bath. There was no aid. It was actually intense. There was quite a lot of sickness. I used to be fortunate I didn’t get meals poisoning, however I don’t eat meat. Usually, that’s going to get you earlier than a vegetable.
Earlier than we speak concerning the finale, I need to ask a logistical query: If Greg is nervous about being caught or acknowledged in Thailand, why would he select to hang around at a White Lotus resort?
There’s this phantasm that no matter occurs in Thailand stays in Thailand. There are quite a lot of expats and other people whose tales aren’t actually instructed. It’s a tacit settlement that no one inquires. Greg finds consolation with that — he looks like no one’s going to trouble him there. There are too many people who find themselves flying off the grid and below the radar.
Is Greg making an attempt to lowball Belinda along with his $100,000 provide, or is {that a} fairly good value for her silence?
An attention-grabbing story occurred to me years in the past, and I used it to justify how this went down. I used to be supplied a job in an unbiased movie firm. And the one who was bankrolling the entire thing actually bamboozled these producers into pondering he had unbelievable wealth. One night time they picked me up in a limousine and stated, “We need to give you a job.” He supplied me $75,000, and I began laughing. I referred to as the opposite producers and stated, “I don’t suppose this man is aware of what he’s doing. I don’t suppose he’s actual. He actually felt like $75,000 was some huge cash.” This man was a con man, and he didn’t perceive the worth of cash. I feel that’s how Greg/Gary is. Regardless that he’s purchased himself this ridiculously ostentatious dwelling and yacht and God is aware of what else, his thought of handing out cash — he’s nonetheless the agricultural, suburban man he grew up as.
So that you suppose the $5 million pained him?
I consider he weighed his choices, and he took Zion at his phrase: “We go away.” And he figured, in the long term, it’s no drawback when you’ve got that type of cash. I wrote a complete factor about why he would do it, which entails perhaps assuaging a few of his guilt about Tanya by doing one thing in her honor.
You wrote a justification of Greg’s actions for your self?
I did. I’ve the script in my binder, and I flip the pages over and write tales. I write tales about Greg’s previous, about how he meets Chloe, about how he views folks normally. He’s a little bit of a misanthrope. He doesn’t need to have interaction with anyone. He’s a little bit of a prisoner in an attention-grabbing means, as a result of he doesn’t belief anyone. Chloe is an ideal sidekick as a result of she’s savvy, and she will play a tough recreation. And he or she’s lovely and horny, in order that fulfills a really visceral need.
How clued in is Chloe when it comes to who Greg actually is?
I don’t consider Greg would have instructed her about Tanya, apart from that she handed away and he got here into the cash. He would possibly fabricate that he was concerned in serving to construct her wealth. He additionally could have fabricated — if not instructed truthful — tales about issues he’s finished previously as a way to take a look at her, to see if it shocks her or if she will roll with it. For the primary yr, I imagined that Greg was auditioning Chloe. She’s positively a femme fatale in her personal means.
How do you suppose they met? At first of the season, Rick is satisfied Chloe is an escort as a result of they met in Dubai and he appears to not know a lot about her.
I feel she could have thought-about being an escort and should have been a hostess at a few of these locations. I had a buddy who as soon as labored at a Korean hostess bar. They don’t do [sexual] stuff, but when one had been to supply the suitable cash, then perhaps one would do one thing. The settlement is written in stone that it’s a “arms off” sort of place, however the lady I do know who labored there stated quite a lot of agreements had been made off the e book. In my thoughts, that’s the place I noticed Chloe current.
How did Greg’s cuckold fantasy inform the character for you?
It helped rather a lot. As they are saying, it’s not a lot what your character says, it’s what different folks say about your character that informs who that individual is. I acknowledged that Greg has little interest in having friendships. All the things was on a contract foundation, because it was simpler to have management of these relationships, versus being beholden out of affection or loyalty, or any of these issues. He’s residing a indifferent life.
There’s a juxtaposition between Sam Rockwell’s monologue, which is his character confessing his deepest sexual fantasies, versus Chloe recounting Greg’s needs whereas he’s out of earshot.
Mike White is so good. There’s additionally the scene the place Chloe comes again from the Full Moon Occasion and tries to deceive me [about sleeping with the brothers], which is so silly as a result of I’ve a crew that’s working the boat. Clearly they instructed me the whole lot that was happening, I assume. Greg crosses each “T” and dots each “I” in that regard. So, he decides to alter gears and say, “Have him over. I need him over.” On the identical time, he’s additionally saying, “I would like you to assist me with one thing, as a result of I’ve bought Plan A, and if that doesn’t work I’ve bought Plan B.” The complication is Zion. Had Belinda come alone and refused the $100,000, there’s no telling what might need occurred.
You’re implying Greg might need killed Belinda?
I don’t suppose he would have gone that far, however he might need put some strain on her to depart. He might have scared her.
When studying the scripts, did you ever suppose Greg would possibly die or be the one which did the killing?
I didn’t know after I got here into Season 3 if I used to be going to be the one to die. As I learn the episodes, I began to really feel like I used to be perhaps the one to kill somebody, as a result of there’s much more implied with Greg than spoken. However I attempt to not guess an excessive amount of.
What did you make of Belinda pulling a Tanya on Pornchai?
For Greg, it’s a little bit of “Welcome to the membership!” That is what occurs. It’s a commentary on the individuality that one buys once they have a bigger checking account. They’ll extract themselves from the commiseration that’s the common populace.
Patrick Schwarzenegger instructed us that the unique reduce of the finale was 2½ hours lengthy. Had been any of your scenes left on the reducing room ground?
I feel the whole lot I used to be alleged to do in Episode 8 was there.
The place does the finale go away Greg? Is he at peace with himself?
I don’t know if there’s ever going to be a decision. When Greg is telling Belinda that he loves Thailand and needs to die there, I feel that’s a little bit of a narrative, to make all of it sound so picturesque. This man can’t sit nonetheless.
So do you suppose his story on the White Lotus is over?
I’ve no clue. What’s it they are saying about being the best hockey participant on this planet? You need to know the place the puck goes earlier than it goes there. I’m no hockey participant. I can’t even think about going into the unbelievable thoughts of Mike White.
This interview has been edited and condensed. See Selection‘s protection of “The White Lotus” finale, together with a recap, solid interviews and a evaluation, right here.
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