Just like Season 1,The White LotusSeason 2 is a major conversation starter. But, there’s one particular element of the show that’s sparked an especially intense response — Portia’s outfits. (And just about everything Portia does, for that matter.)
Creator, writer and directorMike Whitetakes the series from Hawaii to Taormina, Sicily to focus on a new group of guests vacationing at a White Lotus resort. However, there is one returnee —Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid who travels to the seaside town with her assistant in tow,Haley Lu Richardson’s Portia.
As we all well know, Tanya’s up to her eyes in money, spending without a care in the world and making one questionable choice after the next. While one might assume Tanya’s outlandish behavior would warrant the most scrutiny, it seems as though it’s Portia’s actions that are sparking the most heated reaction. Yes, that has a lot to do with how she’s treating sweet Albie (Adam DiMarco) who appears to have a heart of gold, but viewers are also busy ripping Portia’s style choices to shreds on social media.
WithThe White Lotuswell into its Season 2 run, Richardson joined us for an episode ofCollider Ladies Nightto revisit her road to the hit HBO series and also to talk all things Portia, including her fashion. We’ll have the full conversation for you as soon as Episode 5 drops on Sunday, November 27th, but for now, here’s Richardson’s response to the very spicy takes on Portia’s style. She began:
“I’ve actually been really wanting to talk about this because I’m aware that there’s this Twitter discourse-debate-conversation situation going on, and people are very, very passionate and mainly upset and disturbed by Portia’s style. At first, I was seeing those things because since the show’s been going on, I know so many people watch it, I’m just way too freaking curious so I’ve been going on Twitter and looking up Portia and looking up my name just to see what people are saying. It’s very, very scary. [Laughs] I wouldn’t recommend it. But, I’m just so curious so it keeps me coming back for more.”
Twitter reactions are dangerous territory to explore, but Richardson was able to find the good in earning such a heated response. She continued:
“When I saw all of the Portia hate, at first I was really bummed and a little bit hurt, honestly. I was pretty sad about it. But then I was like, no, this is actually hilarious and fun because the whole point of a show like this is to get people talking, and people are talking about how annoying Portia is and how much she gets under your skin, and talking about her style and all these things, and I was like, that’s so cool that this character that I got to be a part of bringing to life is making people have all these opinions. She’s a fictional character and all these people are having opinions. But it also made me wish I had a Twitter so I could be a part of these conversations. There were so many Tweets I saw that I was like, ‘Oh my god, I just want to frickin’ respond! I want to reply! I want to be a part of this.’”
What it comes down to is that this is the intended response to Portia’s style choice. Richardson explained:
“All of this that I’ve seen, at least on Twitter specifically, is intentional. Portia’s style being chaotic and ugly, and a mess and not making sense, and trendy but in a messy way, that was very intentional. Alex [Bovaird], the costume designer, who did last season and then has done great other things, I remember my first fitting with her. With Portia just as a person, I had imagined Portia in kind of basic clothes and just not wanting to stand out and being kind of like a normie. And then when I showed up to that first fitting, Alex had brought the most eccentric stuff, like vintage finds, trendy micro trend, fast fashion things. Just loud, chaotic things, and I remember being like, ‘Hm, this isn’t what I expected, but I kind of love this for Portia,’ because she’s so lost and she’s trying so hard, like I said, just to feel alive and to understand how she fits into the world and to be fulfilled and to be excited. So I feel like that would be reflected in her wardrobe, but in a mess of a way, you know? Like putting things together that are loud, but don’t make sense. I loved that idea, and I also loved how that informed the internal of Portia even more. But yeah, I mean, she’s a mess. She’s broke, she’s lost, she’s miserable, she’s insufferable, which is a word I’ve seen a lot on Twitter. [Laughs] I think that that’s reflected in the way that she looks as well.”
Eager to hear more from Richardson onThe White LotusSeason 2, her memories from working on thePretty Little Liarsspinoff series,Ravenswood, what it’s like havingColin Farrellas a scene partner, and much more? Stay tuned! We’ll have Richardson’s episode of Collider Ladies Night for you soon.
