Carrie Coon says Mike White lower White Lotus scene after Trump election
Carrie Coon has revealed that Mike White cut a scene from The White Lotus after Donal Trump was elected as the 47th US President.
The Fargo star, 44, who plays the disgruntled soon-to-be divorcee, Laurie, in the hit HBO drama, revealed White had penned the third season of the show prior to Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris.
White had intended for Coon’s character to have a more extensive backstory, before Trump’s executive orders targeting transgender, nonbinary and intersex Americans made the plot line appear too fleeting.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar, Coon explained: “There was a bit more context to her home life. You originally found out that her daughter was actually nonbinary, maybe trans and going by they/them.
“You see Laurie struggling to explain it to her friends, struggling to use they/them pronouns, struggling with the language, which was all interesting,” she continued.
“It was only a short scene, but for me, it did make the question [in episode three] of whether Kate voted for Trump so much more provocative and personally offensive to Laurie, considering who her child is in the world.”
The Sinner star added: “But the season was written before the election. And considering the way the Trump administration has weaponised the cultural war against transgender people even more since then, when the time came to cut the episode down, Mike felt that the scene was so small and the topic so big that it wasn’t the right way to engage in that conversation.”
Trump’s executive order to ban trans people from the military – one of several orders that explicitly removes federal recognition of trans people – claims that the “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honourable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.”
The president’s actions have faced legal challenges, with several judges ruling against his administration’s policies. Judge Ana Reyes argued that a categorical ban on trans service members in the nation’s military discriminates based on transgender status and sex and “is soaked in animus.”
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Coon’s revelation comes after Duke University slammed The White Lotus last week for including its merchandise in scenes where Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) considers killing his wife.
Isaac’s character went to Duke and is wearing a t-shirt from the university as he plans to shoot his partner in a bid to escape the impending repercussions of a shady business deal.
A Duke spokesperson said the episode “simply goes too far” and “mistakenly suggests an endorsement or affiliation where none exists.”
“Suicide is the second-leading cause of death on college campuses,” he added.
“As imagery from the show is being shared widely across social media, we are using our brand to promote mental health awareness and remind people that help is available.”
If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: mind.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk.
