Parker Posey On The White Lotus: “I Was Really Glad To Play Someone Loopy”

Within minutes of arriving at the Centurion New York, I’m being offered fruit and the chance to take in the 55th-floor views by Parker Posey. The New York legend, wearing a voluminous white taffeta dress and chunky gold jewelry, seemed to be at ease high above the city — and why wouldn’t she be? The lifelong actor is finding a whole new legion of fans through her role as Victoria Ratliff on The White Lotus, where her campy Southern accent and proclivity for lorazepam have made her the undisputed meme queen of the season.

As part of the show’s promotion, American Express brought Thailand to Centurion members at its luxurious club at One Vanderbilt, which was adorned with tropical fauna and raffia archways for the event. Guests were treated to Thai-inspired food and a hilarious conversation between Posey and her onscreen son, Patrick Schwarzenegger, which ran the gamut from how Zoom auditions “have to be stopped” to the inspiration behind Victoria (“Big Edie from Grey Gardens when she was younger”).

Before she sat down in the hot seat for Centurion members — and, notably, fled the room when the host played some clips, as she refuses to watch her own work — she talked with NYLON about shooting in Thailand, reality television, and the lasting influence of Party Girl’s fashion.

Hi, Parker, how are you doing?

Have you looked at this? It’s wild. Can you believe we’re here? Do you feel like we’re in an airport, though, since this is a lounge?

It does have a transient quality to it. Do you still live in Chelsea?

No. I am mainly upstate now. I spent almost seven months working in Thailand.

What’s something that happened while filming that we might be surprised to hear?

A monkey stole my homework.

The script? The monkeys scared me. I was like, “Something’s going to happen with the monkeys.”

I hear that’s what people are saying. And I’ll remind you, I signed an NDA. I haven’t watched it, but I’ve read all the scripts. So I do know whether the monkeys do something.

Did you have a good time when you lived there?

Yes, of course. The first time I saw [White Lotus director] Mike White, I was in a wardrobe fitting. He had on a fisherman’s hat, and he’d been sweating a lot like he’d been running. I was like, “Oh, my God, what were you doing?” He’s like, “I’m preparing.” Because it was physical endurance.

You know what it’s like in the South when it’s hot? Like, say, Texas in August? Picture that, and then turn the heat on in the car and go sit in the car. That was how hot April was. There are three seasons in Thailand: hot, hotter, and hottest. That’s what our guide at the elephant sanctuary told us. You sweat, you get used to it, and you adjust. But you go through something that’s demanding, and it was quite a feat.

Did it make acting feel easier in a way?

I was really glad I was playing someone who was loopy. It does make for interesting work because you’re not at home. And Victoria… what I love about Mike White’s characters, and what I love about the dream he gave her, is the many dimensions of her. It speaks for everyone in the show.

I know he made you all watch Southern Charm for the accents.

Well, he didn’t make us, but I just loved the whole thing. As an actor performing characters that are written, I’m slow to being a fan of reality television, but now I’m like, “This is so interesting.” It’s a very interesting thing about our culture.

Have you dipped your toes into any more reality television?

90 Day [Fiancé] and Love Is Blind. I got [my boyfriend] to watch it. Love Is Blind is turning into the last episode, when they all get together and start confessing about their behavior and what idiots they were. It got deeper than I thought it could get, which I really enjoy. I was doing a play at the time, and it was fun to talk to the younger people about Love Is Blind. ... It’s this relationship to these real people; you can delve into their lives in relation to how they present themselves on social media. It’s a way for them to become stars and a part of the zeitgeist. Alan Cumming was on Jimmy Fallon with me. I had not seen his show [The Traitors].

You have to watch it. They’re not comparable to the characters you play, but you find reality and fiction are blurred.

I really like that, because they’re under a spell of what the show is, and that happens when we’re in a show like The White Lotus. But we have the material, and I also have a life as a working actor in the show. I think what you’re talking about with this show and its meaningfulness is… they’re really tested. That’s what people love watching: this chaos, and how they’re going to get through it.

I waited until the show was over to watch Survivor. I was like, “Should I watch Survivor with Mike in?” It’s interesting to have an auteur have this capacity to even be on a reality show like The Amazing Race or Survivor. He gave all of us a hardcore experience, and I’ll never have that again.

Is there a certain moment where you know you’ve found the character? And what was that moment for Victoria?

It starts from the outside in, and then goes to the inside out. You’re almost animating someone. There was a face I’d make for Victoria. That really helped, because you know when someone’s not well and they’re going through a tough time.

Victoria has a lot of passion. I loved to play a Southern woman who is very, very feminine, like a wilting flower, but if push came to shove, she’d be able to get it together. She’s formidable. I loved the drama of the family.

Switching gears to fashion…

Fashion, fashion, fashion, fashion!

A lot of people, especially designers, love to reference Party Girl. What’s your favorite costume of all your characters, and how much does fashion play a role for you in acting?

I’m a frustrated costume designer. It’s my favorite part of the process: how big a shoulder pad is, or what silhouette or color. Style and design, in the past 20 years, has gotten a lot more popular in our culture. I mean, I was wearing clothes with holes in them in the ’80s. Then, playing with vintage clothes and high fashion in Party Girl… you know, we just lived it. There was a connection to something you couldn’t afford that you had to have to help you be strong, to help you be yourself, to help you communicate your vibrancy and that you like style and people with style.

That’s why people reference that period so much.

I know. How old are you?

I’m 28, so I didn’t see it when it came out, but I’m very familiar with it.

I love that. It’s so wild to me, because it was very organic and collaborative. I wore some of my clothes; I borrowed some of the stylist’s clothes. Like [assistant costume designer] Vicki [Farrell] had this multicolored shirt on and I was like, “I could wear that with these shorts.” People really played with each other. It was storytelling. What you’re doing is creating a certain story of how you felt inside, and how you wanted to be in the day, or how you wanted to communicate something.

Did you keep anything from set?

I kept the [John] Fluevogs. A lot of the Vivienne Westwood didn’t fit anymore, but I kept the Fluevogs and had them resoled.