You had so many wonderful collaborators, Mike and the rest of the cast. Is there anything you feel like you learned from this project? Either as an actor or just as a person, any lessons you’re taking away?
I’ve been thinking about it a lot, just because the last time I was really on a set in a big way was The Bold Type. And I did that for so many years. That was such a unique experience for me, I was in my mid-twenties, and I was learning so much, and it was my first really big TV thing, so I’m always really grateful for that show because I feel like it helped me really get my feet under me.
And The White Lotus for me felt like a new moment, I felt sort of like a woman in a way that I hadn’t before. And I think I just took away from the experience, you know…Mike, the way that he operates, he’s so relaxed and he’s so free and open and he puts so much trust in the actors, which is such a wonderful feeling, because you feel safe to try things. It’s such a collaborative experience, and out of that comes a presence of mind that for me is something that I would love to try and keep finding, moving forward. I think he really facilitated an environment that made that possible, so that’s one of my main takeaways for sure.
I’m so intrigued that you said you felt like a woman. Is that because you’re playing a mom or just the slightly more serious subject matter?
I think it’s both of those things, and also, I’m just a bit older now. All of those factors played into how different of an experience it felt like for me. I really felt like I was growing up on The Bold Type, you know? And like I said, I’m so grateful that I had that opportunity to learn things because I was so nervous when I first found out that I had been cast in The White Lotus! It’s such a prestigious, wonderful thing to be a part of. I was really intimidated. And it was nice for me to, in the small moments, to be like, no, I’ve been on a set before. I know how this works, I know what it means when they say things!
The first time I was ever on a set was for Gossip Girl, and I didn’t know anything! Nobody told me what anything meant, and there’s all this lingo that I’ve never heard, and I don’t know what the camera’s doing, and it was really overwhelming and scary. So for me to now find myself on a set and not feel like that anymore, it’s nice. It’s a nice feeling.
Is there anything that you’re hoping people take away from this show or your performance? Anything you’re excited for people to see?
In terms of stuff Daphne does, I really love episodes five and seven. I think the thing that’s so great about The White Lotus is that it’s not trying to teach anybody a lesson. It’s sort of offering up a situation and presenting it to the audience and letting them choose. I’m looking forward to hearing what other people take away from it on their own, more than anything.
Final question: what do you miss the most from Italy? Food? People? Weather?
Ooh, what do I miss the most? I think I miss the cacio e pepe, I miss the people, the beach, I mean, I miss the way that it smelled, the way that the grocery stores are there! I just loved everything about it. Take me back!
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Photographer: @eliastahan
Hair: @cameron.rains
Makeup: @jentioseco
Styling: @thomascarterphillips
