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'Can't Handle Things Like That': White Lotus Star Aubrey Plaza Reveals Why She Hasn't Watched The Series Yet
In her latest interview, Aubrey Plaza admitted that she’s still never seen her season of Mike White’s beloved HBO anthology series. She earned an Emmy nomination for her performance as Harper.
Despite the acclaim of critics and an Emmy nomination, Aubrey Plaza remained one of the few in the world not to have seen her performance on The White Lotus Season 2. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal Magazine, the actress said with a tint of jest that she hasn't seen the show that made her known. Why? Consistently struggling with her HBO Max account.
Plaza says, with her signature comedy and dry wit, it all went in vain for no better reason than something as simple as changing the forgotten password. She says, "Honestly, I just had some issues opening my HBO Max account when I went to originally watch it. I couldn't figure out the password and I usually just give up when I'm unable to figure out the passwords. I just can't handle things like that." An audience is likely to empathize with this struggle with technology, something relevant in an era dominated by streaming platforms for intake of entertainment.
Adding a tinge of nostalgia, Plaza said she'd prefer more classic ways of viewing: "I'd love a DVD, but they don't send DVD sets anymore." Her yearning for a physical DVD set shows the alienation some feel in the ever-digitizing realm of media.
Plaza played Harper in The White Lotus, a lawyer who is married to Ethan, a wealthy businessman played by Will Sharpe. It's a character whose uptight professionalism and underlying complexity certainly appealed to Plaza, who agreed that of all the figures she's played, Harper seemed closest to her real particularly because there are some similarities between Harper and Plaza's own mother. A professional, understanding mother who is also a lawyer strike of connection made the act even more justified and powerful for her in relating herself to Harper.
Asked how she got into character as Harper, Plaza replied that she had a weird combination of method acting and indulged in Italian culture. She laughed that she was consuming a huge amount of "linguine and clams" daily, referring to the act as "psychological conditioning." She did that to adapt to the character's environment, which made her very smooth in her implementation of Harper.
But Plaza's history with streamers is less than frictionless. She's spoken openly about her frustrations-mostly with their often needlessly user-unfriendly interfaces, which in her telling frequently send her off to do other things rather than watching what she wants to watch. Last year alone, she vented to Vanity Fair about trying and failing to figure out Hulu + Live so she could watch Top Chef's 20th season. What does she do now? She often resorts to buying old movies or series on iTunes, although she subscribes to platforms where they are available.
The reminder from her husband that she literally could watch The Sopranos for free on HBO Max, not buy the series on iTunes, was only a reinforcement of her distaste for the experience of streaming. "I give up!" she exclaimed. "I can't. I just can't." It was an exclamation that might easily have captured a sentiment to be shared well in these modern times when the content seems at our fingertips yet somehow eludes us.
The fact that the third season of The White Lotus is to be filmed in Thailand and comprise a new diverse cast makes Plaza's detachment from her own work one more layer in a career that is already quite ironic. As the show heats up with buzz and new characters, Plaza's distance, which is funny in itself, charms and furthers her position as one of Hollywood's most candid stars.
In discussions about the future of The White Lotus, HBO head Casey Bloys says it's contingent on the story that Mike White wants to do. The more this anthology series matures, the greater its potential to continue to surprise and beguile viewers, much like Plaza's unexpected trip with her own storied performance.
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