The White Lotus star Theo James jokes he filmed a ‘very carnal’ sex scene with Will Sharpe
Theo James and Will Sharpe in The White Lotus season two. (HBO)
The White Lotus star Theo James has addressed fan theories about the chemistry between his and Will Sharpe’s characters in season two of the hit HBO show.
The pair play competitive former college buddies Cameron and Ethan who are holidaying in Sicily with their partners, Daphne (Meghann Fahy) and Harper (Aubrey Plaza).
The dynamic between the quartet quickly gets complicated as Ethan and Harper become paranoid that their respective partners have cheated, which, ironically, sets their love life in motion again.
However, amidst the accusations and anger, many fans were quick to point out the romantic tension between Ethan and Cameron – and in true White Lotus style, were rooting for the pair to hook up.
Speaking to Variety at the SAG Awards about whether or not they were “going to get it on or not”, a straight-faced James replied: “They cut the sex scene. It began in a kind of romantic way but then it gets very carnal, but Mike [White, the show’s director] decided to cut it.”
However, before fans start a petition to demand its release, he clarified: “No, I’m joking! There was no sex scene.
“They’re just friends, I think,” he added.
However, the actor did acknowledge there’s a little something more to the pair’s relationship than the energy of rivals.
“It’s an interesting question of sexuality and how the boundaries of that,” he continued. “Whether there is a sexual frisson between them, or between [Meghann] and Aubrey’s characters, it’s all there.”
It wouldn’t be the first time fans have missed out on conversation-starting scenes. Season one star Lukas Gage recently revealed that a drug hallucination scene in which he appeared before Jennifer Coolidge’s iconic character Tanya McQuoid was sadly cut.
As for James, perhaps it’s for the best that the scene doesn’t exist, given that his nude scene with Plaza at the beginning of season two sent Twitter into meltdown.
To be fair, fans got their fair share of wild sex scenes in the first season, particularly when Gage’s character, Dillon, is enthusiastically rimmed by hotel manager Armond (Murray Bartlett).
Gage previously revealed that the two stars actually pitched the scene to the director. “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.”
There’s also the scandalous scene where two of the characters, Quentin (Tom Hollander) and Jack (Leo Woodall), who had introduced themselves as uncle and nephew, were caught having sex by Tanya.
As season three of The White Lotus gears up to begin filming, potentially in Asia, it’s time to place bets on what eye-popping sexual encounters might be included in the third run.
Seasons one and two of The White Lotus seasons are streaming on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic.
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