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Ethan Spiller is spiraling.
The deeper fear is,Are we falling out of love?says Sharpe.
But alongside that is this question of,Are we still physically attracted to each other?
Ethan confronts Cameron about it in thelatest episode, so we know it stuck with him.
He got into college because he was smart.
He made the money because hes smart.
So this luxury vacation is like,Maybe I deserve a piece of that.
When she confronts him with that, hes not ready.
Hes not ready to imagine that his friend Cameron is still the exact same guy if not worse.
Its a very up-front confrontation, when there have previously been a lot of sideswipes in this foursome.
What is Ethan trying to accomplish with that directness?He cant help it.
So we know he has these neuroses around Cameron, or at least had them at one point.
Did those play into why hes there?Thats something Harper asks him at one point.
If it is, though, I dont know how conscious it is.
Cameron knows he has one way of getting anything, and thats his way of pillaging Ethan.
Ethan and Harper believe the one thing holding their relationship together is honesty.
Theyre set against a really different couple in Cameron and Daphne.
They also have this newfound wealth thats changed the way they operate.
Theyve been in cruise control, and on this vacation, theyre realizing theyre in a rut.
Theyre not actually honest about the difficult things.
It takes a lot for them to confront it.
Cameron and Daphne are a lustful couple thats the strength of their relationship.
We dont see that from Ethan and Harper.
How do you see love and lust playing out in their relationship?They are sort of intertwined.
Aubrey and I would talk about what their day-to-day is like because you meet them in a marital crisis.
Hes like,It doesnt feel like Harper and I are in a good place.
This doesnt look good.
That idea of bro code invokes a masculine bond.
And he still does fail in a traditionally male way through the series.
What do you mean by that?Hes not showing up for his marriage.
Hes internalizing problems and not communicating well.
Nor is Harper, arguably, but Ethan certainly isnt.
It was uncomfortable to play, too, in that deliciously Mike White way.
The elephant in the room with Ethans masculinity is that he doesnt want to have sex with his wife.Right.
Theres also the moment where Harper is trying to seduce him.
I remember talking with Mike about it, and he wanted to play it like Ethan just hasnt noticed.
Hes been for a run and hes going about his day.
Thats heartbreaking for Harper.
Mike always said he didnt want the problem in the marriage to be anything too specific.
Thats the hardest thing for them to confront.
I dont know how that relates to the question of his masculinity.
It relates to his role as a husband, and that is a masculine role, traditionally.
At one point, Ethan has a vision of Harper and Cameron coming into the room ready to bone.
Maybe hes not ready to be angry at Harper about it yet.
Its easier to be angry at Cameron.
Youve mentioned that, this season, the scale felt bigger in part because you were in Sicily.
Is that a fair paraphrasing of you?Its something about the emotional scale.
Its a tonal thing.
Its darker and Mediterranean.
It felt operatic or like a Roman tragedy that unfolds with volcanic energy.
Im interested in you invoking Roman tragedy.
Do you see Ethan as a tragic figure?Its difficult to talk about that at this point.
He definitely has the potential to be a tragic figure.
The question is whether hes going to do anything about that.
The White Lotus has only had a few visitors who are not American.
Is the show specifically American in its focus?The skewering of privilege is fairly universal.
I know that people in the U.K. find it funny and uncomfortable.
Sometimes I felt like this dynamic between Cameron and Ethan is quite American.
Status is important all around the world, but there is a particularly American way of giving status.
What is that particular way?Just how important it is.
There might be a quiet, inherent competition in any kind of interaction even if its not well discussed.
But its that bit louder.
Is that what your relationship with Cameron is about?At times.
At times, that is a thing.
Subconsciously, hes like,I dont like that youre good at even one thing.
