"Three different realities": The White Lotus star Jake Lacy shares filming experience in Hawaii during COVID lockdowns

Jake Lacy appeared in-studio on The Rich Eisen Show on November 21, 2025.

He was there to talk about his new Peacock series All Her Fault, his favorite memories from The White Lotus Season 1, and his time acting on The Office.

When talking about The White Lotus, Lacy said filming Season 1 was a very unusual experience. Because of COVID rules, the cast could not leave the hotel. They had to stay inside the Four Seasons in Hawaii the whole time. They lived and worked there while making the show.

Jake Lacy shares filming experience from The White Lotus Season 1

At the beginning of the interview, Jake Lacy called Mike White a genius, saying Mike just operates on “another level.” He remembered filming everything out in Hawaii, right in Maui at the Four Seasons, and the whole thing felt wild. It all happened in November 2020, right in the middle of lockdowns. They had strict quarantines, daily COVID tests, and even face shields. Lacy said the whole experience felt surreal.

He said nobody really hung out together on The White Lotus set after they finished filming. The hotel was basically deserted, too: no guests, just empty halls. Lacy said it almost felt like The Shining, but without anyone swinging an axe or yelling, “Give me the bat!” He laughed and added that there definitely weren’t any creepy bathtub woman moments, either.

Jake Lacy said that halfway through production, the team had to change quarantine times. Hawaii’s economy runs on tourism, and it was on the verge of falling apart. The COVID numbers hadn’t gotten any better, but the rules shifted anyway. Hotels started letting guests back in. Suddenly, the cast and crew were working right next to paying visitors who didn’t have to stick to the same strict protocols. At the same time, union rules meant that even if someone got a false positive on a COVID test, they still had to quarantine for ten days.

“So it was like a weird... You're living in, like, three different realities, and we couldn't leave the hotel.”

Once they finished filming, they jumped into the press circuit. Lacy remembered Mike White talking about his creative decision. Mike just thought it would be hilarious to toss a body into the very first episode and then stay totally quiet about it until the finale. He wanted to poke fun at how modern TV always seems obsessed with keeping us hooked on some big mystery.

“You gotta have a body, there’s gotta be a death.”

Lacy recalls staring in disbelief. If only he had known sooner. He had always thought the show was just poking fun at rich people and how money messes with relationships. But standing there, he got it: Mike wasn’t just calling out the wealthy. He was also aiming at the stories people expect to see, and why writers keep leaning on those old patterns.

He couldn’t help but admire Mike White for pulling that off. That kind of storytelling is not easy, as per him. When the host asked if he saw the show blowing up and turning into this huge franchise, Lacy just shrugged and said that while they were filming, all he thought was:

“This is really cool.”

Jake Lacy’s character in The White Lotus

Jake Lacy plays Shane Patton, who is on his honeymoon in Hawaii. He is rich and a bit spoiled. He always wants what he thinks he paid for.

He gets very upset about the “Pineapple Suite.” Shane thinks people should always treat him specially. He sees everything like a deal or a transaction. He cares a lot about what he is “owed.” His character is a satire on privilege and selfishness.

Shane keeps fighting with the hotel staff because he wants the “right” suite. He argues with Armond again and again. These fights get bigger and more serious as the season goes on.

Shane’s actions aren’t just annoying; they cause real trouble. In the end, things get dangerous because he won’t let the issue go. We also learn something important: Shane isn’t only greedy or picky. He is insecure. He wants people to treat him like he is important. He wants to feel right and validated.

The White Lotus uses Shane to show how rich people can act spoiled. Jake Lacy has said that Mike White made the show to satirize wealth and TV mystery stories.

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In the finale, we learn that Shane is the killer. After this, Shane talks to his wife, Rachel. They get back together, but Shane has not really changed. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Jake Lacy said Shane’s “growth” is fake. Shane just wants people to tell him:

“You’re right. People really did you wrong.”

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