Sam Nivola (left) and Aimee Lou Wood.Photo:Getty(2)
Getty(2)
Stepping onto aWhite Lotusset is unlike any other experience an actor has had, but luckily, some of the season 3 stars had veterans to rely on.Aimee Lou Wood andSam Nivola, who play free-spirit Chelsea and high schooler Lochlan in season 3, respectively, tell PEOPLE that they both feel lucky to have had a friend in a season 2 alum to go to for support — both before they got on set and while they were in Thailand.“Thank God I’d metLeo [Woodall]at a party before I got the role, and then we just got on, and so it was great actually,” Wood, 30, says of the British actor whoplayed troublemaking Essex boy Jackon season 2. “Because he checked in once a month to see how I was [doing].“Woodall, 28, was a “really helpful” asset to theSex Educationalum. “[He] would kind of be like, ‘Okay, you’re at this stage of the journey now. Just keep your head.'“Aimee Lou Wood as Chelsea in ‘The White Lotus’ season 3.Fabio Lovino/HBOFunnily enough, Nivola says that theWhite Lotusvet he relied on was none other than Woodall’s girlfriendMeghann Fahy.“I worked with Meghann Fahy [onThe Perfect Couple] andI asked her for adviceand she was basically like, ‘You don’t need advice, you’re just going to have a great time,'” Nivola recalls.Fahy, 33, advised Nivola, 21, to “trust [creator] Mike [White] because he is as smart as everyone says he is, and if you just give yourself to him completely, you’re in really good hands.““I also spoke to Adam DiMarco, because his character in the last season is kind of similar to mine, and he sort of said a similar thing,” Nivola adds. “I was like, ‘What the f—? I want real advice.’ And they were like, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ But they were totally right.“Sam Nivola as Will Winbury and Meghann Fahy as Merritt Monaco in ‘The Perfect Couple’.Courtesy of NetflixOf course, Nivola, Wood and the rest of the cast also had season 1 vetNatasha Rothwellon-site for help.“We had Natasha who had done season 1, so she’d been there, done that. So that was very helpful,” Wood says.Rothwell, 44, reprised the role of hotel spa worker Belinda for season 3, and even though she was returning, she, too, felt some nerves on set.“These are people that I idolized growing up, and so sharing the screen with them, I had such imposter syndrome,” she told PEOPLE, referring to the impressive slate of costars that includesParker Posey,Carrie Coon,Walton GogginsandMichelle Monaghan.“Carrie was actually the one who brought me back to Earth, because she was just like, ‘We’re all nervous to meet you because you were season 1. You’re, like, the OG.'“Sam Nivola, Sarah Catherine Hook and Patrick Schwarzenegger in ‘The White Lotus’ season 3.Fabio Lovino/HBO"We were so close in Thailand — we were all so close,” Rothwell continued. “You create a family when you doWhite Lotus.“She credited White for having the “Midas touch” when it comes to casting. “He’s very good at creating that chemistry … This is the thing that I will say is the same as season one: the connections you make on aWhite Lotusset are legit.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Season 3 ofThe White Lotuspremieres Sunday, Feb. 16 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
Stepping onto aWhite Lotusset is unlike any other experience an actor has had, but luckily, some of the season 3 stars had veterans to rely on.
Aimee Lou Wood andSam Nivola, who play free-spirit Chelsea and high schooler Lochlan in season 3, respectively, tell PEOPLE that they both feel lucky to have had a friend in a season 2 alum to go to for support — both before they got on set and while they were in Thailand.
“Thank God I’d metLeo [Woodall]at a party before I got the role, and then we just got on, and so it was great actually,” Wood, 30, says of the British actor whoplayed troublemaking Essex boy Jackon season 2. “Because he checked in once a month to see how I was [doing].”
Woodall, 28, was a “really helpful” asset to theSex Educationalum. “[He] would kind of be like, ‘Okay, you’re at this stage of the journey now. Just keep your head.'”
Aimee Lou Wood as Chelsea in ‘The White Lotus’ season 3.Fabio Lovino/HBO
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Funnily enough, Nivola says that theWhite Lotusvet he relied on was none other than Woodall’s girlfriendMeghann Fahy.
“I worked with Meghann Fahy [onThe Perfect Couple] andI asked her for adviceand she was basically like, ‘You don’t need advice, you’re just going to have a great time,'” Nivola recalls.
Fahy, 33, advised Nivola, 21, to “trust [creator] Mike [White] because he is as smart as everyone says he is, and if you just give yourself to him completely, you’re in really good hands.”
“I also spoke to Adam DiMarco, because his character in the last season is kind of similar to mine, and he sort of said a similar thing,” Nivola adds. “I was like, ‘What the f—? I want real advice.’ And they were like, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ But they were totally right.”
Sam Nivola as Will Winbury and Meghann Fahy as Merritt Monaco in ‘The Perfect Couple’.Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
Of course, Nivola, Wood and the rest of the cast also had season 1 vetNatasha Rothwellon-site for help.
“We had Natasha who had done season 1, so she’d been there, done that. So that was very helpful,” Wood says.
Rothwell, 44, reprised the role of hotel spa worker Belinda for season 3, and even though she was returning, she, too, felt some nerves on set.
“These are people that I idolized growing up, and so sharing the screen with them, I had such imposter syndrome,” she told PEOPLE, referring to the impressive slate of costars that includesParker Posey,Carrie Coon,Walton GogginsandMichelle Monaghan.
“Carrie was actually the one who brought me back to Earth, because she was just like, ‘We’re all nervous to meet you because you were season 1. You’re, like, the OG.'”
Sam Nivola, Sarah Catherine Hook and Patrick Schwarzenegger in ‘The White Lotus’ season 3.Fabio Lovino/HBO
“We were so close in Thailand — we were all so close,” Rothwell continued. “You create a family when you doWhite Lotus.”
She credited White for having the “Midas touch” when it comes to casting. “He’s very good at creating that chemistry … This is the thing that I will say is the same as season one: the connections you make on aWhite Lotusset are legit.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Season 3 ofThe White Lotuspremieres Sunday, Feb. 16 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
source: people.com