As The White Lotus airs its hotly anticipated Season 3 finale this week, the show’s creator Mike White has revealed he was initially reluctant to cast one of this season’s breakout stars – Lisa Manobal, better known as Lisa from Blackpink.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, White opened up about the casting process for the HBO series, which has been drawing an increasingly large audience with each new episode. Set in Thailand, the latest season features a cast of rising local and international talent – among them, Lisa, who plays Mook. While her screen time has been limited, her impact on audiences has been anything but.
White, who both created and wrote the series, said he extended the opportunity to Lisa as a nod of respect to Thailand – her home country – but admitted he had early reservations. “I didn’t know who Lisa or Blackpink was,” he said. “All I knew was that there was a Blackpink girl in The Idol, and I was like, ‘We’re not doing that.’” His comments referenced Kim Jennie, Lisa’s bandmate, who starred in the polarising Sam Levinson drama for HBO.
Read more: Blackpink’s Lisa on ‘The White Lotus’ Acting Debut: “I Didn’t Know What to Expect on Set”
For Lisa, the role came at a pivotal moment. Having left YG Entertainment in 2024 to establish her own label, LLOUD, the Thai singer said she was looking for a new challenge. “I’ve been performing [in Blackpink] for a long time, and this opportunity came right when I was trying to find a new challenge. They sent over the script, and I sent a tape back,” she recalled.
Yet even after viewing her audition tape, White remained hesitant. He was reportedly told there may be “security-related concerns” if she auditioned in person – a prospect he initially rejected outright. But the team behind The White Lotus insisted. Executive producer David Bernad, an Emmy Award-winner, said Lisa was eventually asked to meet the casting team at a secret location in Phuket. At the time, the producers were leaning toward casting another actress they had met in Bangkok.
“But Lisa was so humble, and she’d worked so hard on her performance,” Bernad said. “This was someone fighting for this part.” Her audition, he added, was nothing short of “amazing.”
White, too, was won over – eventually. “Lisa’s so nice and uncomplicated,” he said. “I’m just used to not having so much attention—we don’t need it. But I wanted to be respectful to Thailand. She’s like Taylor Swift meets Princess Diana there.”
Co-star Tayme Thapthimthong, who plays Gaitok, recalled how the rest of the cast responded when first meeting the K-pop icon. “Not everyone was familiar with her music,” he said, “but they definitely knew of Lisa or someone who’s absolutely crazy about her. So when they’d meet her, there was a lot of, ‘Heeeey, how are you?’”
Read more: Blackpink’s Lisa Reacts to Her ‘Alter Ego’ Album Being Leaked
White later admitted he had underestimated Lisa’s cultural gravity. On set, he said, he witnessed people moved to tears by her mere presence.
For Lisa, the journey into acting began long before the cameras rolled. She took acting lessons before flying to Thailand and, still wracked with nerves, brought her mother along for moral support during the audition. It seems to have paid off. What began as a gamble has blossomed into one of the season’s most talked-about performances – and perhaps, a promising new chapter in Lisa’s career.
