Warning: This put up incorporates spoilers for “The White Lotus.”
“The White Lotus” star Jason Isaacs isn’t too involved about Duke College’s displeasure at his Season 3 character — a Duke alum-turned-white-collar prison who abuses his spouse’s Lorazepam remedy — carrying a faculty T-shirt on the present.
The hit HBO present’s third season was set on the fictional White Lotus resort in Thailand and was filmed in Bangkok, Phuket and Koh Samui. Isaacs performed Timothy Ratliff, a proud North Carolinian who learns throughout a household trip that he’s needed by the FBI for monetary crimes.
The character most notably wore the Duke College apparel throughout an emotionally wrenching scene by which he holds a gun to his head and considers taking his life. The scene shortly caught the eye of the varsity’s vp for communications, advertising and public affairs.
“The White Lotus not only uses our brand without permission, but in our view uses it on imagery that is troubling, does not reflect our values or who we are, and simply goes too far,” Frank Tramble advised HuffPost in a press release final month after the sixth episode aired.
“Suicide is the second-leading cause of death on college campuses,” the official continued.
Isaacs suspected that the college’s assertion didn’t stem purely from honest concern.
“I don’t like anyone getting upset about anything, but clearly, it was just someone fancying seeing their name online and, in some department, wanting to go viral,” Isaacs stated on Wednesday’s episode of the “Prestige Junkie” podcast.
“Their real-life alumni are such a rogue’s gallery, many of them, that the notion that this rather spiritually enlightened character on television caused them any trouble is fanciful and ridiculous,” he continued.
Whereas at the least one Duke alum advised the Hollywood Reporter that Duke “absolutely had to say something” publicly to guard the varsity’s “very strong brand,” many present college students advised the outlet that Ratliff’s apparel made for humorous memes — or was merely good to see on TV.
“To me, it’s never that serious,” sophomore Alex Berkman advised THR. “It’s television.”
Isaacs gave a sartorial wink to the controversy on the screening for the season finale, the place he wore a T-shirt that includes Duke’s Blue Satan mascot.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/HBO/Getty Photographs
“I bought the T-shirt because the airline canceled my flight and took my bags away, and I had nothing to change into in the morning,” Isaacs stated on the podcast. “It was the only outlet there [to buy clothes from].”
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“I also thought it might cause a bit of mischief, which I think it did,” he stated concerning the shirt.
For those who or somebody you recognize wants assist, name or textual content 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for psychological well being help. Moreover, you could find native psychological well being and disaster sources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outdoors of the U.S., please go to the Worldwide Affiliation for Suicide Prevention.
