White Lotus 3 creator didn’t want to cast Blackpink’s Lisa in the show initially, says ‘She was like Taylor Swift meets Princess Diana’

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Blackpink’s Lisa almost didn’t get the role in White Lotus 3

“I didn’t know who Lisa or Blackpink was,” White said, recalling his first impression when he received a tape of her audition. “All I knew was that there was a Blackpink girl in The Idol, and I was like, ‘We’re not doing that,’” he added, referring to Lisa’s bandmate Kim Jennie, who had earlier starred in the HBO series co-created by Sam Levinson. For Lisa, whose full name is Lisa Manobal, the role meant a lot, especially as she officially kicked off her solo career after parting ways with YG Entertainment in 2024 and launching her own label, LLOUD. “I’ve been performing [in Blackpink] for a long time, and this opportunity came right when I was trying to find a new challenge. They sent over the script, and I sent a tape back,” she said.

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White revealed he was told there could be some security-related concerns, and he instantly said ‘no’ to her in-person audition. But the team insisted she would still audition. David Bernad, the Emmy Award-winning executive producer of The White Lotus, added that they asked her to meet them at a secret location in Phuket for the audition. Bernad revealed that, at the time, they had already met another actress in Bangkok and were leaning toward casting her instead. “But Lisa was so humble, and she’d worked so hard on her performance. This was someone fighting for this part,” he said, sharing what changed their mind. “Her audition was amazing. And Lisa’s so nice and uncomplicated,” White said, adding that despite this, he still wasn’t ready to cast her. “I’m just used to not having so much attention—we don’t need it. But I wanted to be respectful to Thailand. She’s like Taylor Swift meets Princess Diana there.”

Tayme Thapthimthong, who plays Gaitok in the show, shared how the cast greeted the K-pop idol when they first met her. According to him, not everyone was familiar with her music, but they “definitely knew of Lisa or someone who’s absolutely crazy about her. So when they’d meet her, there was a lot of, ‘Heeeey, how are you?'” Later, White admitted he had underestimated her and didn’t realise at first that she was more than just a pop star. He recalled seeing people cry on set, overwhelmed by her presence in the cast, and said he was left amazed by how everything she does gets so much attention and is constantly scrutinised. Elsewhere during the interview, the Money singer revealed taking up acting lessons before flying to Thailand and how she was so nervous before auditioning that she brought her mom with her.