TV

Actor Lukas Gage on the ‘jarring’ moment he was rimmed on HBO’s The White Lotus

White Lotus

Lukas Gage at HBO’s “Euphoria” premiere in 2019 (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO/Getty)

The White Lotus actor Lukas Gage has opened up about the rimjob cliffhanger that sent the internet into overdrive. Warning: spoilers ahead.

Gage, who plays hotel staffer Dillon on the HBO drama-comedy, spoke to the The AV Club about the filmmaking process behind the final minutes of the show’s fourth episode, “Recentering”.

For those who haven’t watched it, the scene sees resort manager Armond (Murray Bartlett) caught with his face deep between Dillon’s cheeks.

As you might expect, when the episode dropped on Sunday the internet had a field day – and Gage couldn’t be happier with the reaction.

“I can’t wait for my ass to get retweeted all over the Internet,” he said.

Gage told The AV Club that in the first draft of the scene Dillon and Armond were caught having full penetrative sex, but that he and his his co-star Murray Bartlett thought they could find a more creative way to expose their characters’ tryst.

Together they pitched the rimming element instead – and White was fully on board.

“We said, ‘Wouldn’t it be more interesting if [Dillon’s] getting his salad tossed? I mean, how often do we see that on TV?’ I think it’s much more interesting and more jarring to walk in on.”
Gage credited the incredible shot to series creator Mike White, a “brilliant writer” who has a “natural defiance in almost everything that he does”.

“There’s a sense of burning down the system in his writing,” Gage said, “and I love that, in this moment, Armond kind of just says, ‘f**k it all!'”

The scene was filmed with an intimacy coordinator on set, and Gage had nothing but positive things to say about the experience and Bartlett as a scene partner, calling him “one of the most talented, sweetest, kindest humans and actors in the world”.
White Lotus is airing on HBO Max in the US and will arrive in the UK on 16 August on Sky and Now.

This article contains affiliate links, PinkNews may earn revenue if you click through and purchase products through the links.

 

Register to save articles and more. It'll only take a minute and it's free.
JOIN US TODAY!