Southern Charm has been a mainstay on Bravo for ten long seasons. Throughout this duration, the stars of this series have equally delighted and disheartened us, as certain members refuse to grow up or hold themselves accountable to their truths. Yet, where we saw Peter Pan-like symptoms, the director of The White Lotus saw inspiration. Now appearing in Season 3 is The Ratliff family, whose personalities intentionally mimic that of the stars on Southern Charm.
Yes, we said intentionally. All roads lead back to Bravo, ALWAYS. As an avid watcher of The White Lotus and Southern Charm, this writer says, well done, Mike White, for creating such an iconic family in the Ratliffs. Here is everything we know about this crossover.
Who is the Ratliff family in Season 3 of The White Lotus?
The Ratliff family consists of a mother named Victoria and a father named Timothy, played by Parker Posey and Jason Isaacs, respectively. Three children are also in this lineage, including Lochlan (Sam Nivola), Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), and Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook).
When the Ratliff clan first appeared in Thailand, they seemed like a picture-perfect household. But as soon as they opened their mouths, this perception passed away.
In an interview dropped on the official Instagram page for this series on HBO, Jason describes his character as a fat cat stuffed with self-importance. Indeed, Timothy is that.
Parker notes that her casted family lives in a bubble in North Carolina, where the rules of social hierarchies matter. As her work husband describes, her character, Victoria, is eroded by pharmaceuticals, but her wit, sass, and Southern (lack of) manners remain intact.
Admitting that both the mother and father are narcissists, Parker stresses that their children desire to be close to their parents, but this ask is hard to deliver. Now, they are all set free on an island to entertain themselves. But, as they all think they are better than everyone else, their lives will soon unravel in the real world.
For inspiration, the Ratliff characters had to watch Southern Charm before filming on White Lotus began
Sam, the actor behind Lochlan, spoke to PEOPLE about Season 3 of The White Lotus. According to Sam, before his hired family touched down in Thailand, Mike, the creator of The White Lotus, asked them to watch Southern Charm as inspiration for their upcoming roles on HBO.
As Sam said, “Mike told us to go watch Southern Charm. Jason Isaacs, who played our dad, modeled his whole accent and character off of [that cast],” Sam added.
Speaking to DECIDER, however, Jason stressed that he does not wish to grant his inspiration, Thomas Ravenel, “too much credit.” Jason does not want this man suing him “for whatever pennies I have left from the show,” he joked.
Before filming on The White Lotus, however, Jason wanted to hear how Thomas spoke. So, he “looked at some of his political campaigning interviews,” he explained. Jason also teased that future episodes of Season 3 will delve into just how vital the Ratliffs are to their community via a reveal in Episode 4, which speaks of how his grandfather is the governor of North Carolina. The parallels between his role and Thomas were in that “general sense of entitlement,” Jason ended.
But Sarah Catherine Hook and Parker Posey were already well-versed in Southern culture
While Jason and Sam used clips from Southern Charm to help model their responses on The White Lotus, the mother-daughter duo of Sarah and Parker got a hall pass. Sarah and Parker already understand Southern cultures, as their acting in Season 3 proves.
Sarah is “from Alabama,” she explained through the PEOPLE interview above. Therefore, Mike did not tell her to “watch Southern Charm,” which (jokingly) made her feel left out, she quipped.
Meanwhile, Parker also grew up in the South. Therefore, she equally pulled from her personal experiences to achieve what she described as a “snotty effect” for her character. In an interview with Variety, Parker said she has met many “wealthy people and southerners that are almost affected [by snobbery],” so this is how she behaved in her role of Victoria.
“It was so fun to play. It’s the theatricality of Southerners. I’m from the South, so I was happy to bring that Tennessee Williams drama, ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.’ It’s just that lady. It was a blast,” Parker emphasized.
Dressed in a caftan while precariously holding her fork, a dismissive Parker sounded like Patricia Altschul during a dinner service in Episode 2. As her children and husband watched, Parker disregarded another character who rubbed her wrongly. This scene felt reminiscent of Patricia shooing away or walking away from her lesser-desired colleagues on Bravo.
So far, every Ratliff character is nailing their role in The White Lotus Season 3. So, thank you, Southern Charm, for your assistance on this series.
Southern Charm is streaming on Peacock while The White Lotus is streaming on Max.
TELL US – ARE YOU WATCHING THE WHITE LOTUS SEASON 3? DO YOU SEE ANY OTHER SOUTHERN CHARM STARS REFLECTED IN THE RATLIFF FAMILY?
