I Was an Further on ‘White Lotus’—This is What It Taught Me About Thailand

I used to be about to get my head shaved.

On the Dhutanga Perception Meditation Heart—an all bhikkhuni (feminine monk) non secular sanctuary tucked away in nature exterior the bustling metropolis of Bangkok—Punya, the pinnacle monk, patted me on the shoulder, silver scissors in hand, and requested, “Are you able to develop into a monk?” I nodded, making an attempt to cover my worry. Her mild fingers held a lock of my lengthy, darkish hair. Earlier than I mentioned goodbye—snip, snip, snip—it was gone. Just a few tears welled, and I puzzled, “Am I going to be ugly now?”

Then, with cautious precision, one other monk started shaving my head. As soon as full, my fingertips grazed my chilly, bare scalp.

My monkhood solely lasted two weeks; I couldn’t combat my itching need to discover Thailand. However, after I left, the monks gave me a blessing necklace to maintain me secure on my journey. Three months later, rocking a contemporary pixie minimize, I’d put on this identical necklace as part of my costume whereas enjoying a meditation scholar on the set of The White Lotus.

Who knew my travels would land me on an HBO hit?

Like Piper (performed by Sarah Catherine Hook) in The White Lotus season 3, I arrived in Thailand desirous to immerse myself within the non secular world of Thai Buddhism. My journey started on the Dhutanga Perception Meditation Heart as a volunteer. Earlier than dawn, I’d wake to the sounds of chirping birds and croaking lizards. Every day introduced a sluggish and regular rhythm—transferring from meditating to chanting to learning the Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) to finishing chores. My favourite one? Planting child mango timber to blossom lengthy after we’re gone.

The evening after I left, I went straight to Khao San Street—a brief however electrical road full of bars, funds hostels, and road distributors hawking all the things from fried scorpions to pretend IDs. I traded my saggy meditation garments for a bit of black costume and dove straight into chaotic nomad life. With a bunch of fellow backpackers, I hopped from bar to bar, passing round low-cost alcohol and inhaling laughing fuel balloons. The evening blurred into neon lights, pulsing music, and the reckless vitality of vacationers chasing freedom on the backside of a rum-and-Coke bucket.

The following morning, as I nursed my hangover by making an attempt to meditate, I noticed Thailand exists in extremes. Vacationers come right here in search of transformation—whether or not by way of serene spirituality or wild revelry. Some discover enlightenment in meditation halls; others, within the dizzying haze of a Khao San Street bender.

I discovered it in each.

Months later, I fell in love with Koh Phangan, an island break up by these dualities. On the western facet, in Sri Thanu, a non secular group thrived, crammed with yoga shalas, tantra workshops, and ecstatic dances. However on the south facet lived the darkish underbelly: Haad Rin, house of the Full Moon Get together, the world’s greatest seashore rave, replete with neon paint, hearth dancing, and, once more, plastic buckets of alcohol.

In the future, a WhatsApp message invited me to be an additional on an unnamed HBO present. I used to be skeptical but open to a brand new journey. Just a few weeks later, I discovered myself on Koh Samui, a extra developed neighboring island with spacious resorts, a double-decker mall, and its personal airport, prepared for my first day on set.

For two,250 baht a day (about $65 USD), I pretended to be a meditation scholar at Wat Phu Khao Thong, a quiet, secluded Buddhist temple hidden away in Koh Samui’s Mae Nam space, house to monks and stray canine. Inside its grounds stood a placing golden pagoda and complicated dragon-adorned stairway (a characteristic you’ll spot in The White Lotus). 

Earlier than daybreak, the extras arrived on set, nonetheless groggy as we sipped free espresso from the craft companies desk. In between takes, we bonded over card video games and journey tales. We had been a motley crew of backpackers, expats, and locals, all chasing a paycheck and a slice of Hollywood fame. Spending 12 hours a day collectively, a camaraderie shaped amongst a small group of us. At any time when considered one of us obtained a close-up with an actor, the remainder would silently cheer.

My shining star second? A 15-second scene with Victoria Ratliff (performed by Parker Posey) as she freaked out about her daughter Piper doubtlessly becoming a member of a cult. However my favourite behind-the-scenes spotlight was watching Mike White direct in a “Get Your Sh*t Collectively Portia” t-shirt (a nod to a personality from season 2).

From the attitude of a lapsed meditation scholar and former monk, the depiction felt surprisingly correct. Most scenes we spent sweeping the grounds, meditating in teams, and learning Dharma. The second that felt off? A scene the place we ate a meal at evening—as a result of I do know firsthand monks don’t eat previous midday.

Our final day of taking pictures flipped the script, so to talk. We modified units from a tranquil temple to a rowdy rager. Fisherman’s Village Evening Market was reborn as a tightly packed alley resulting in Full Moon Get together. Abruptly, it was like I used to be again on Khao San Street—besides this time the buckets had been crammed with water. Wearing pink cat ears and booty shorts, I pretended to occasion till we wrapped at 3 a.m. The evening ended with my castmates and I slipping away for a sneaky photograph with Aimee Lou Wooden and Charlotte Le Bon.

My time as an additional surprisingly mirrored my two-sided expertise as a traveler in Thailand—each as a non secular seeker and a celebration chaser. But it surely was one thing exterior myself that I fell in love with: the individuals. 

As I watch the present with my fellow extras on Zoom, I’m left wanting extra perception into Thai tradition, spirituality, and life past the vacationer expertise. The one Thai characters in The White Lotus work for the resort. Because the finale approaches, I can’t assist however marvel, will the present strip away the glitz and glamour for a extra genuine glimpse of Thailand? 

On day two of filming, we spent many of the day sitting in a stuffy meditation corridor, crammed with artificial smoke and towering cameras. Hours handed with our eyes closed, legs folded in lotus place. I began to battle my very own eyelids, combating the urge to open them and verify the clock. I ponder how many people had been truly meditating—and what number of had been simply pretending. 

On the finish of the day, possibly that’s the actual query: Once we discover new locations, are we really immersing ourselves in new cultures, or are we merely appearing as our outdated selves, pretending to be reworked by international locations?

Like The White Lotus suggests, the reply relies on the traveler.