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Haley Lu Richardson (‘The White Lotus’) on creator Mike White: ‘I wrote him a love letter, trying to get his attention.’ In the Sicily-set installment, she plays Portia, the assistant to Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) who’s told to “get lost” by Tanya’s husband. Gold Derby editors Rob Licuria and Marcus Dixon host this webchat.
Haley Lu Richardson, best known for playing Gen-Z poster child Portia on “The White Lotus” Season 2, has been angling to dance in a musical for at least 12 years. “I’ve been putting this out into the universe since I was 16. That’s my biggest dream, for sure,” Richardson tells us. (She’s currently “talking to people about it.” There are “ideas circulating.”)
That desire isn’t just a throwback to Richardson’s days as a dancer before she transitioned to acting—it’s an extension of how she still approaches performing. “The thing I love about acting the most is the thing I love about dancing the most. It’s this thing that comes from your soul; it’s just such a vulnerable, abandoned thing,” she says. “The first time I really felt like I was acting was actually through dance. Now when I think about: What is my [acting] process? It is such an internal thing. It’s in my body; it’s listening to music.”
On this episode of In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, Richardson discusses what she’s discovered about her acting process, gets candid about viewer reactions to her “White Lotus” character, and reveals which iconic script she passed on.
Even after her many successes, Richardson still struggles with insecurity.
“When people say, ‘Don’t take [rejection] personally,’ that only goes so far. Because, truly, acting is [personal]. It’s your body, it’s your emotions, it’s your voice, it’s your ability, it’s your energy. It’s all of these things. This is something that I’ve gotten over or found peace a little bit more with auditioning. Or even if I just don’t get a job or if it goes to someone else, this is something I found more peace with at this point in my life. So it does get better!
But I feel like the energy of taking it [personally]…has shifted into the work that I do, and the struggles that I experience on set, whether it’s with people I’m trying to collaborate with or just being hard on myself. It’s this thing of: How do I show up to the work that I do when the whole point of the work that I do is being vulnerable, and being ready to give and play with my emotions disguised as this other person’s emotions? How do I show up to that work without—if there’s another external problem on set—letting it just destroy me, because I’m in this extremely vulnerable, exposed emotional space? So that taking it [personally] idea has shape-shifted throughout my career. But it is something that I’m still trying to figure out—how to protect myself while also doing the thing that is needed for me to act.”
Haley Lu Richardson has quickly emerged as one of the leading young actors of her generation, with her starring role in the second season of HBO’S highly popular series ‘The White Lotus’. Next, we’ll be able to see Haley in Netflix’s ‘Love at First Sight’, which is premiering later this year.
Haley, we’ve been able to watch you in HBO’s highy succesful series ‘The White Lotus’, where you portrayed Portia. How was it working on such a popular series and with this phenomenal cast?
It was pretty cool, as you would imagine. I had really wanted to work with Mike White for years, so that was kind of like a dream come true in a way. There’s all these things that in life and in this acting career are like aspirations and dreams. I’m like “Oh, that would be so cool if this happened or if I could work with this person”. When one of them actually comes true, it’s just really exciting and cool.
This show is such a special thing to him. It’s all Mike, he created this show and he wrote every episode, directed every episode. It’s his baby. So to be picked by him and be able to meet him and be a part of that was cool. Being a part of a big ensemble, finding my place in the tone and within the bigger picture was challenging in some ways, but I’m really thankful for it.
GALLERY LINK
Photoshoots / Portraits > 2023 > Session #003 (Vanity Fair Oscar Party Portraits) ♥♥♥
“The White Lotus” star Haley Lu Richardson hit the carpet at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in custom Rodarte. She told “Extra’s” Terri Seymour that it was her first time being invited to the big bash — though she confessed she was ready to get home to her cat! She dished on getting ready for the party and also gushed about the night’s big winners, including Brendan Fraser.
“The White Lotus” star Haley Lu Richardson spoke with Access Hollywood at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, where she shared her excitement for Brendan Fraser for winning at the award show. She also talks about her fierce red carpet fashion.
Haley Lu Richardson attended the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California, wearing Rodarte’s Custom Lavender Floral Beaded Tulle Gown . 23 HQ pictures have been added to the gallery
