“She thinks she’s Lady Gaga,” says Beatrice Grannò, who performs scrappy lounge singer Mia on season two of The White Lotus, of her character’s evolution. But throughout a dialog with Grannò, which happened the week of the present’s newest finale, the actress might higher be likened to the fourth Haim sister.
If you’ve been taking note of social media within the days for the reason that dramatic finale, amid all of the Jennifer Coolidge memes had been behind the scenes pics through which Este Haim was snapped on the Sicilian set of the HBO present which promptly set the web ablaze. Haim was a musical advisor on the present and mentored the Italian actress for her lounge singing scenes. “She was the best!” Grannò says. “We became friends. Thank god she was there!”
For Grannò, who studied theater in London and has been performing in movie and TV steadily since 2014 (you will have caught her within the Italian Netflix collection Zero), The White Lotus was her large break—and a frightening job. “Aubrey Plaza was there, [F.] Murray Abraham, Michael Imperioli, all these people, and I felt like I had none of their talent!”
But it didn’t take lengthy for Grannò to be in her component on the Sicilian set, reuniting with bestie Simona Tabasco, who performed Mia’s partner-in-literal-crime Lucia, getting to indicate off her musical chops and, in fact, making buddies with Haim.
In an interview with AP, Grannò spoke about breaking into the American market, Mia’s sexual fluidity and why Mia and Lucia had been the guts of The White Lotus season two.
Read extra: The White Lotus season 2 trailer brims with love, homicide and an entire lot of hedonism
What was your response whenever you received the information that you just’d be starring in The White Lotus season two?
I simply couldn’t consider it. I used to be so excited as a result of I used to be such a terrific fan of the primary seasonI did a self-tape a 12 months in the past exactly, and in January, Mike White went to Rome and needed to see among the actresses [in person]. I did an [in-person] audition and two days later—it was midnight in Rome and I used to be watching a well-known Italian music pageant referred to as Sanremo—my agent referred to as me and advised me that me and Simona] each received the elements. We had been actually completely happy, we FaceTimed [each other]. I used to be operating round the home, and we had been screaming!
What was it like attending to work with Simona once more?
It was superb. We really met 10 years in the past once we auditioned for a similar drama college [in Italy]. I didn’t get in, so I moved to London to attend drama college there. When I received again to Rome, we met once more as a result of we did an Italian present collectively referred to as DOC, and that’s once we did the self-tape audition collectively [for The White Lotus].It was nice to work along with her as a result of Mia and Lucia had been imagined to be shut buddies, however Mike White had no concept that we knew one another from earlier than. It was simpler for us to do these scenes as a result of we’re so shut. Our friendship grew stronger as a result of we had been each sharing this superb expertise.
Was there strain contemplating how large of successful the primary season was and being one of many few Italian actors solid alongside many well-known English-speaking actors?
Yes, in fact. I knew that the mission was unimaginable, so I used to be anxious I used to be not going to have the ability to reside as much as that. But on the similar time, I’ve educated in [in acting] in London and once I began to behave, [it was] in English, so for me it was like going again to highschool in a method of exploring that method of working in one other language. Even although my character is Italian, I used to be asking myself, how did I get right here? But I knew [that] Mike White was searching for an Italian woman who might play piano and sing, so I knew I might convey that. My character’s vitality could be very near what I can convey on movie, so I used to be excited to go for it. It was my first time doing comedy on movie, however in England I’ve a theater firm the place we do comedy, so I might use that.
How did you put together for the musical aspect of Mia?
All the songs Mike White needed had been form of jazz requirements and I used to be imagined to be a lounge singer so I ready myself with a jazz sound and a really jazzy voice. But once I received on set he mentioned, “She’s not that sophisticated. She’s more of a pop singer because she has to be different from Giuseppe, she has to be noticed.” I labored with Este and he or she mentioned I ought to actually belt it as a result of that’s my voice. I used to be anxious as a result of all of the songs had been performed reside, so I’m pondering, how can I sing [well] reside and play completely? I used to be working towards a lot in my room as a result of I introduced my keyboard with me, so I used to be at all times taking part in. It was Mia taking part in at The White Lotus, nevertheless it was additionally me taking part in on a HBO collection, so it’s form of like the 2 personalities combined.
We noticed images from behind the scenes come out on social media after the finale and other people had been like, “what’s Este Haim doing there?” So what was she doing there?
She was the perfect! She was working [on The White Lotus] however on the similar time she was working on soundtracks for movies as a result of she’s doing that too now.; she’s doing so many issues! When we had been virtually achieved with the songs she left so I used to be actually unhappy. She managed to interrupt me—in a great way! She was organizing karaoke nights on the lodge; she was taking part in [piano], she was singing. It was lovely to see such a tremendous musician being so open with everybody.
There’s a really attention-grabbing dynamic that occurred between Mia and Valentina, performed by Sabrina Impacciatore. How did you strategy Mia’s sexual fluidity?
I used to be so excited once I discovered that [Sabrina] was going to be on the present and that I’d get to work along with her. In Italy she’s very well-known for comedy.She actually put herself into the character. It was good for me to be a part of that course of in her character [development] as a result of to start with she’s form of blocked, and I feel Mia is blocked, too. Together they meet at a degree the place Mia realizes her personal freedom along with her physique and confidence and that second is when she meets Valentina and so they begin this sport. Mia offers Valentina her vitality to form of let herself go. It was very thrilling to me to play that as a result of we don’t at all times discuss feminine pleasure on tv.
Pretty a lot the entire characters on the present are received what they deserved, for higher or worse. What do you consider the place Mia and Lucia ended up?
Lucia and Mia, they’re the actual winners of the present, even when it’s probably not a contest. They fought for themselves, they had been by no means victims or felt sorry about what they had been doing and in the long run they received what they needed. That occurred as a result of that they had one another. “The best things in life are free” [a reference to the song that plays over the final scene of Mia and Lucia walking through Sicily]: It’s their friendship. Love is free.
We have to speak in regards to the vogue, and Mia and Lucia are on the pinnacle of that. What had been a few of your favourite appears to be like from the season?
My favourite look was the white costume I put on in episode six when Mia is seducing Valentina. It’s a kind of Marilyn Monroe vibe when she’s singing completely happy birthday to her, and I felt actually assured in that. The vogue [evolution] of Mia is admittedly attention-grabbing as a result of she began off actually blocked and plain and there’s a second in episode 4 when she seduces Giuseppe when she’s sporting that [frilly] skirt and crimson beaded T-shirt which is humorous to me as a result of she doesn’t actually know who she is in that second. She’s messy, and slowly she turns into this very elegant and funky singer on the finish. She believes that she’s Lady Gaga or one thing; she’s a star now.
Now that you just’ve damaged into the American market, what are a few of your dream initiatives?
What I actually dream [about] is [being on] one other worldwide present, however having the ability to act in English as a result of that may open new [doors]. In phrases of story, The White Lotus was a giant step, however I acted in Italian, my character was Italian, so it wasn’t too completely different from what I’ve achieved earlier than by way of performing. I’d have an interest to be a part of different music initiatives and work with some American musicians. The fashion I’m searching for is people music and in Italy it’s not that frequent. Americans eat people for breakfast.
Well you’ve already received the reference to Este, so watch this house!
Yes!
Discussion about this post