As 2025 comes to a close, it seems fairly safe to say that Season 3 of The White Lotus will be getting a lot of ink in end-of-year roundups. The kind of edgy, water-cooler stuff you were beginning to think they were never going to make any more, Mike White’s series played out like a Harold Robbins novel on a cocktail of Viagra and psychedelic drugs, a dramatic, sexually fraught jet-set ensemble piece that somehow brought depth and personality to what could easily been just a high-class Fantasy Island. The lion’s share of its core female actors were nominated — Carrie Coon, Parker Posey and Aimee Lou Wood — plus Walton Goggins. But this morning also brought well-deserved good news for Britain’s Jason Isaacs, who memorably played the desperate, soon-to-be-exposed Tim Ratliff, white-collar criminal and the world’s most lethal mixologist…
DEADLINE: Where were you when you got the news today?
JASON ISAACS: I was in my hotel room here in Ohio. In a delicious irony that only Mike White could write, I was jumping around naked doing my morning workout. It was just entirely appropriate for White Lotus, I think.
DEADLINE: So, you had it on the TV while you were working out?
ISAACS: No, I had the YouTube link on.
DEADLINE: You’ve been nominated before, haven’t you? What are your thoughts on the Golden Globes?
ISAACS: About 18 years ago, I got a call three days before from the president of SAG saying, “Congratulations.” And I thought, “That’s nice. The president of SAG.” Elliot, his name was. And he said, “You will go on strike, won’t you? If we all go on strike and support the writers?” And I went, “What?” He said, “Yeah, we might go on strike because the writers are on strike.” And I went, “Oh, bloody hell. All right.” That was the phone call that told me I wasn’t going to the Golden Globes, and then they were canceled, of course. I’d already bought my ticket, so I came to LA and hung out rather sadly with my friends.
DEADLINE: So, this would be your first Golden Globes?
ISAACS: Well, I’m holding my breath. I’m getting the suit out of mothballs and my fingers are crossed.
DEADLINE: And what does it mean to be competing for this award?
ISAACS: Well, what I think is that Mike White is a genius and is maybe our only bulwark against the machines taking over. He just writes magnificent parts. And I got to do something, as everybody’s doing in the category. And there’s phenomenal actors nominated alongside me. But I got an incredibly complex, challenging, fabulously human part to play. And then the HFPA recognized that and the voters recognized that. But the truth is that it’s always the writing. There’s some strange irony in that Tim Ratliff was having a terrible time. He was depressed and suicidal and homicidal and as miserable as life could be. And yet from the privilege of doing that comes all this kind of glamour and glitter. But I never forget what the day job is. The day job was to find talented people and sit close to them.
DEADLINE: So, how many nominations did White Lotus get in the end? Is there enough to fill a table?
ISAACS: I haven’t done a total. I don’t know. I finished my workout, went back to the airport. I think that myself and Walton in my category and three of the women are in the women’s supporting actor category. I don’t know about the other categories. It’s obviously the best show. Mike, of course, is rightly focusing on the work. Mike’s in France right now prepping season four because, in the end, it’s all about the work.
DEADLINE: So, are you still in touch with all the guys from The White Lotus?
ISAACS: All my “kids”. I mean, you end up being close to the people you’re filming with. So, my storyline was often me and my kids, and my kids have all texted me this morning, and lots of other friends who were awake at strange, ungodly hours.
DEADLINE: So, what’s up next? Why are you heading to New York?
ISAACS: Oh, it’s a bunch of boring stuff that I’m doing. Well, what’s happened to me recently is that I was thrilled to go back to work because we all spent the better part of the year doing publicity [for The White Lotus]. And while I’m really privileged and proud to be part of the show, that’s not what I do for a living. So, I’ve just done three films back-to-back. And I feel excited again, energized about what it is I’m supposed to do, which is tell stories. So, I’m meeting various people through this work.
DEADLINE: And what are the three movies that you just did?
ISAACS: I did Victorian Psycho in Dublin. I did Eleven Days, Peter Landesman’s film with, actually, some other nominees — Rhea Seehorn and Diego Luna, who are both nominated for Golden Globes, as well. And then I just did The Julia Set, reuniting with Gillian Anderson after The Salt Path, which was lovely.
DEADLINE: What do awards like this mean to you in general? Are they just nice for the shelf?
ISAACS: Well, I don’t know. I mean, the point of awards originally was to make people go to the cinema. I suppose extending it to make people watch quality television. And the walls are closing in, certainly on theatrical releases of things. And so, what it means is it draws public’s attention, onto what shows are interesting enough to watch. So, the fact that there is some great work out there and that maybe people shouldn’t sit and vegetate, maybe we’re now competing with a million different types of entertainment. So, that’s what it does generally for the industry.
For me personally, I try not to think about it. It’s incredibly flashy, you get a lot of praise, but I’ve been an actor for nearly 40 years. And the times that I’ve had amazing nominations or awards are the times I’ve been lucky enough to be around some brilliant writing and in really quality projects. So, that’s what I try and focus on. And the recognition for that is lovely, but I get on the Tube every day and I go to the supermarket, and I try and keep myself pint-sized.
DEADLINE: Do you think this was a particularly good year? How do you look back on 2025 now that it’s nearly ending?
ISAACS: There’s always amazing independent films. Every year, hundreds of incoming films. They don’t necessarily get to the cinema, and they’re not necessarily the first thumbnails you reach when you’re looking at the streaming services. But there’s quality writing in cinema and in television if you find it. So, things like awards draw attention to it.
I think it’s been a fantastic year, but I think every year is a fantastic year because there’s an awful lot of crap around, as well. And I hope that we keep making the good stuff and audiences keep finding it.