Aside from the usual greetings, my rudimentary Italian didn’t get me very far. Luckily, Tabasco was accompanied by her interpreter, Chiara Nanni, who made our conversation flow despite the language barrier. I started the interview by asking about Tabasco’s first impressions of Lucia, to which she quickly replied, “Do you mind if I start in Italian?” It moves quickly from there as we discuss Lucia’s potential backstory, character arcs and of course a bold “look at me” style. “My first impressions [of Lucia] is a very positive thing. But I was curious to see how elements of her personality would shine through,” Tabasco explained. Before auditioning, she didn’t realize that Lucia was a prostitute, but working with the series’ writer and director, Mike White, they were able to further develop the richness of her personality. her and staunchly determined that Lucia was not sexually pursuing. work from a desperate position, but rather with a sense of self-empowerment. Tabasco acknowledges this is an important distinction: Lucia does not represent all sex workers or their experiences. Her story is about a woman at a very special time and place.
From that point of view, it is important for the audience to see that Lucia’s high energy and vibrancy is purposefully reflected in her bold outfits, appearing in almost any color of the rainbow. . While Tabasco was quick to denote Lucia’s red mini dress in the premiere as the best representation of the character, the lilac mini dress with the heavenly motifs was also distinctive and meaningful. important to Lucia’s growth. “I have never interpreted a character like Lucia where her body is the focal point,” she said. “She’s very free-spirited, and that’s an important part of her story.”
This sense of autonomy and self-expression influenced not only Tabasco’s costume design but also Tabasco’s acting choices. White Lotus surprisingly one of Tabasco’s first forays into the world of comedy. (In Italy, Tabasco is known for her roles in police and medical dramas.) However, she claims to only improvise one line: Have fun. “With my unclear English, I said ‘cheer up’ while sitting at a table with two guys. At the time, I thought it was grammatical, but then I saw Mike smiling, and I thought, ‘Why are you laughing?’,” she recalls, mocking herself. After filming that scene, “have fun” became a phrase commonly used among the cast and crew.
