Lochlan from 'White Lotus' said Mike White cut through the intimacy coordinator's 'stale' language while filming that sex scene
Actor Sam Nivola said he was "totally nervous" before filming the first sex scene of his career, which was more controversial than most.
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Fabio Lovino/HBO
- Each season of "The White Lotus" has featured an eye-opening sex scene.
- Sam Nivola, who plays Lochlan, said the controversial sex scene in season three was the first of his career.
- Nivola said the show's creator, Mike White, helped him interpret the intimacy co-ordinator's "stale" language.
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for "The White Lotus" season three.
Sam Nivola, who plays Lochlan on season three of "The White Lotus," said the show's creator Mike White helped him understand the intimacy co-ordinator's sometimes "stale" language when filming a controversial incest scene.
In episode five, Lochlan kisses his older brother Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) during a drinking game.
As they try to piece together their night of drink, drugs, and partying, flashbacks in episode six confirm that Lochlan had sex with Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) while pleasuring Saxon with his hand.
Recalling filming the first sex scene of his career, Nivola told Variety that having White on set helped cut through any confusion between him and the intimacy co-ordinator.
"They're always using anatomically correct vocabulary that feels stale and awkward. I'd be like, 'I don't know if I can grasp the shaft,' and then Mike would be like, 'Just jerk him off.' And I'd be like, 'OK, that I understand.' I do think intimacy coordinators are a great innovation," he said.
Nivola also said: "Yeah, I was totally nervous. I'm a very anxious person, so I'm always nervous, especially on a big job like that. Doing the sex scene was nerve-racking, and we were on a boat, and I get seasick, so that was fucking stressful.
"The actual scene itself went smoothly. Mike White was sort of calming about it, and I really trusted Patrick and Charlotte."
There has been plenty of debate surrounding the use of intimacy coordinators in recent years. Jenefer Odell, who was an intimacy coordinator on Netflix's "Sex Education," previously told Business Insider that her role allows actors to have more autonomy when shooting films scenes involving sex and nudity.
However, some stars feel that coordinators can hinder creativity. Last week, Gwyneth Paltrow said she felt "stifled" by them when filming with Timothee Chalamet.
Mike White said he wants to make gay sex "transgressive again."
The scene is part of a trend in "The White Lotus" where sex is used as a point of self-reflection for characters.
In the first season, a member of staff at the hotel is surprised when he walks in on the hotel manager Armand (Murray Bartlett) with his face in a concierge's butt.
In season two, Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) walks in on Quentin (Tom Hollander) having sex with Jack (Leo Woodall), who had been falsely introduced as his nephew. Fabio Lovino/HBO
In a conversation with Variety in 2022 after season two aired, Mike White, the show's creator, said the scene between Quentin and Jack was an "echo" of Armand being caught with his employee.
"There's a pleasure to me as a guy who is gay-ish to make gay sex transgressive again. It's dirty… men are having sex and you have this 'Psycho' music underneath. It just amuses me.
"I just think transgressive sex is sexier. I guess I'm old school. There's this Gothic vibe of walking through a haunted hotel or haunted house and people are having sex behind closed doors," he said.
