ADAM DIMARCO
in Season 2 of HBO Max’s
The White Lotus
Photography Sami Drasin
Creative Director Deborah Ferguson
Interview by Tessa Swantek
Adam DiMarco spent many days at Taormina’s San Domenico Palace, The White Lotus’ Season 2 set location, beside crystal waters reflecting citrus-splashed sunsets surrounding Mount Etna. As Mount Etna spits and crackles, Season 2 sees an almost entirely new ensemble of White Lotus guests who are like constantly shifting tectonic plates as a volcanic undercurrent swells. Like a pressure cooker, an explosion looms over Sicily’s marbled heads. DiMarco is Albie Di Grasso in this season of the series, a character who is notably chemically different from not only his family but every other White Lotus guest. He arrives on Sicily’s shores with his grandfather, Bert [F. Murray Abraham] and his father, Dominic [Michael Imperioli], who are sharp contrasts to Albie’s hyper-empathetic and respectful character. Mike White’s The White Lotus is known for its highly unlikeable, yet highly watchable characters, yet Albie is both likable and watchable. Just like the other resort guests, however, his innermost desires and feelings begin to erupt slowly as the series flows forward. In our interview with DiMarco, we talk about decisions he made for his character, his favorite lines, blurry nights with castmates, and fantasies of seeing Michael Scott flirt with Jennifer Coolidge.
Jacket, shirt, and pants: Ermenegildo Zegna, Necklace: Actor’s own, Sneakers: New Balanc
Coat: Iceberg, Shirt & Shoes: COS, Track Pants: Helmut Lang
I loved Season 1 of The White Lotus and enjoyed Season 2 just as much! Before getting into your role in the series, I want to ask a few questions about you in general. I know you moved to Vancouver for acting school, and now have a lot of experience in the industry. Is there anything that you feel like you didn’t learn about much in school, but have learned a lot about on set?
I feel like I’m always learning. Especially on this show, getting to watch how all these incredible actors approach their work, I learned something from every single one of them. Being messy, taking your time, not asking for permission, treating others kindly on set…the list goes on. I think the best way to learn is to be a fly on the wall, or a sponge. Then you can soak up whatever works for you and carry it going forward.
Jacket, shirt, and pants: Ermenegildo Zegna, Necklace: Actor’s own, Sneakers: New Balance
I know you make music as well under the moniker Good One. You said in an interview that your newest song “Sleepwalk” is “about knowing that everything will be okay, and you have to get there naturally; you can’t force anything or fast-forward through it.” Since acting can be somewhat turbulent and forward-looking, do you feel like you’re getting better at dealing with the in-between?
I think life as an actor has many peaks and valleys. I love working, but I think only associating working with those peaks can be dangerous. Don’t get me wrong, The White Lotus was definitely one of the highlights of my life. But sometimes your life can get put on pause while you’re working, or you can get a bit lost in a character. So, the “in-between” is a great place to find yourself again. I would love to find more time to work on music as well…I hate that it always takes me a friggin’ year to finish a song.
Coat: Iceberg, Shirt & Shoes: COS, Track Pants: Helmut Lang
In The White Lotus, your character Albie has a BA in Urban Studies from Stanford and expressed in one episode that he had a “What now?” moment after moving back home. What do you think Albie wants to fast-forward to in life?
I’m sure he’d love to fast-forward to a place where his parents have worked out their marriage, so he doesn’t have to be caught in the middle anymore. He might also want to fast-forward to a place in life where he’s not an unpaid intern anymore. That would be nice.
Jacket, shirt, and pants: Ermenegildo Zegna, Necklace: Actor’s own, Sneakers: New Balance
It must be interesting playing someone whose motivations are to please and make peace. There’s a bit of a mask up in terms of what he really wants and what he really feels at some points. Who do you think Albie is without the primary motivation to fix and make peace?
I mean those are pretty defining characteristics of the character. I think if you were to strip them away, he’s still sensitive, caring, flawed, and figuring out who he wants to be as a man. And I think he craves excitement and love…but in a “safe” way.
Jacket, shirt, and pants: Ermenegildo Zegna, Necklace: Actor’s own, Sneakers: New Balance
Coat: Iceberg, Shirt & Shoes: COS, Track Pants: Helmut Lang
For Season 1, we interviewed Jake Lacy and he had said that Mike White suggested he read “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell to help develop his character. Was there any particular direction from Mike White about Albie that informed the way you played him in some capacity? Was there anything you decided for Albie that wasn’t necessarily
in the script?
There are a few scenes where Albie is reading…I had pitched to Mike that his vacation book was Catch-22. But maybe it was too on the nose, looking back. I was inspired by how Haley [Lu Richardson] always adds personal flair to her characters by implementing her own clothes and accessories. I had just bought a cross-body bag to carry my camera around Sicily, so I ended up giving Albie a cross-body bag as well. And I think Albie enjoys photography as a hobby, even though that wasn’t in the script. In terms of how I played him, I think Mike and I just experimented with turning up certain aspects of his personality. In one take he’d be more frustrated with his father, in one take he would be more lecturing, etc. And we made sure to keep his sweet and empathetic side at the forefront.
Jacket, shirt, and pants: Ermenegildo Zegna, Necklace: Actor’s own, Sneakers: New Balance
The dynamic between Albie, his father, and grandfather allows for a lot of social commentary surrounding age, masculinity, and sex. Was there any particular social commentary that stuck out to you?
Oh, there are way too many great lines this season! I think in episode three, Murray says something like, “They used to respect the old. Now we’re just a reminder of an offensive past that everyone wants to forget.” That line always stood out to me. Also his line about his penis never being beautiful to begin with…“It’s a penis, not a sunset.” Pure gold right there.
Jacket, shirt, and pants: Ermenegildo Zegna, Necklace: Actor’s own, Sneakers: New Balance
This season made me want to go to Sicily so badly! The Taormina San Domenico Palace looks so beautiful. Was there a particular part of the hotel that was your favorite?
You should absolutely go! It was so so so beautiful there. I was lucky enough to have a room with a back patio area and steps leading up to a plunge pool. So I spent a lot of time out there reading and listening to music and taking iPhone photos of cool sunsets. I also loved being poolside in their giant daybeds…views of Mount Etna in the background… I think Meghann [Fahy] and I spent a whole day in one of those bad boys.
I’m sure you got close with a lot of your fellow cast members while staying in Italy. I know you all did Karaoke nights and hotel dance parties, what are some of your other favorite memories?
It felt like there was a cast member’s birthday every other week. So that was really fun. I think at least six or seven of us had birthdays out there. Haley organized my birthday party, which ended up being a pretty crazy night out in Catania. It was my first time leaving Taormina since arriving in Sicily, and I remember feeling very overwhelmed by all the people there. A lot of the night is a blur. I think we got back to the hotel around 4am.
Coat: Iceberg, Shirt & Shoes: COS, Track Pants: Helmut Lang
If you could pick one cast from a TV show or movie that you would want to see in the setting/storyline of The White Lotus, which cast would you choose?
I think the cast of Mad Men would be fun to watch at a White Lotus Hotel. They could go as part of a corporate retreat or something. So yeah, either Mad Men or The Office. I would pay a lot of money to watch Michael Scott flirt with Coolidge.
Creative Director & Fashion Editor Deborah Ferguson
Grooming Marissa Machado @ art-Dept
Thank you Independent PR and HBO Max