“Actress Carrie Coon Shares Change in ‘The White Lotus’ Character’s Storyline Regarding Non-Binary Child”
During Season 3 of “The White Lotus,” the show took on a political tone with a scene involving character Kate (Leslie Bibb) refusing to disclose her vote for Donald Trump, much to the surprise of her friends Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and Laurie (Carrie Coon). Coon revealed that this scene originally had a deeper political context which was later removed after the election.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Coon disclosed that a significant detail about her character’s daughter being non-binary or possibly transgender and using they/them pronouns was cut from the show. She explained that Laurie’s struggle to explain this aspect of her child’s identity to her friends added complexity to the storyline.
Coon expressed that this omitted scene would have made Kate’s stance on voting for Trump more impactful and offensive to Laurie, given the identity of her child. The decision to remove this scene was influenced by the re-election of Trump and the heightened cultural war against transgender individuals during his administration.
Coon praised series creator Mike White for his nuanced approach to storytelling and his willingness to engage in challenging cultural conversations. Leslie Bibb also commented on the relevance of the Trump-focused scene in the series, noting how it unexpectedly became timely during filming.
Overall, Coon and Bibb’s insights shed light on the thought process behind the storytelling decisions in “The White Lotus.”
