Jennifer Coolidge aims to show fans a distinct realm in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2

Jennifer Coolidge returns to “The White Lotus” to play Tanya McQuoid for Season 2 of the HBO Max series created by Mike White, and she’s ready for fans to meet a new side of her character.

“This was fun for me because the entire length of ‘The White Lotus’ 1 was a grief-stricken woman, and there are spurts of bright light because she met this amazing woman, Belinda, and Tanya felt like she was truly being saved by someone,” Coolidge told Reuters at a red carpet event in Los Angeles. “In Season 2, it was fun to be in a different realm; the grief is over.”

Season 2 stars Coolidge, fellow returners Jon Gries and newcomers F. Murray Abraham, Meghann Fahy, Adam DiMarco, and others as they navigate a fictional White Lotus resort, this time in Sicily, and get more than they bargained for.

Gries, who plays Tanya’s husband, Greg Hunt, said he thinks the surprise this season will supersede the surprise in the TV show’s Season 1, which was set in Hawaii.

Cast member Jennifer Coolidge and director Mike White attend a premiere for season 2 of the television series The White Lotus in Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 20, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

“The theme of this one is more about relationships and less about the abuse of money. It’s ultimately about how we can abuse each other in subtle ways; by miscommunication, we can put each other in bad positions.”

F. Murray Abraham, who plays Bert Di Grasso, believes audiences will relate to the characters. “These are real people, and they have some real problems,” Abraham said. “And they’re really funny too.”

The characters this season must face unique conflicts that audiences haven’t seen in this series yet, he said. “I think this season it’s “White Lotus” on aphrodisiacs. Last season was a lot about money and power, and this season is much more about sex, sexual politics, sexual jealousy, men and women and monogamy, adultery, and all those sexier topics.” Season 2 of “The White Lotus” premieres on October 30, 2022, on HBO Max.