The Thai popstar, 28, was already a mega star when she was cast on the show.
An acting credit on The White Lotus almost certainly translates to global recognition, with the HBO series having turned Meghann Fahy, Jennifer Coolidge, and Leo Woodall into household names.
But Lalisa Manobal is an anomaly; the Thai popstar, who was part of the K-pop sensation Blackpink, was already a mega star when Mike White grudgingly cast her on his award-winning show.
Lalisa, who is better known as Lisa, has over 105 million Instagram followers – making her this season’s most famous castmate by a mile.
However, it was Lisa’s celebrity status that actually turned White off – with the 54-year-old American filmmaker telling The Hollywood Reporter she was like ‘Taylor Swift meets Princess Diana’ and he was worried the singer would distract from the series.
Despite a knockout audition, White was still opposed to giving her the role of Thidapon ‘Mook’ Sornsin because he felt the production didn’t ‘need’ the attention she would bring.
Fast-forward a year, and The White Lotus fans are outraged that Lisa’s character only had ’10 minutes of screentime’ – with a character arc that flatlined towards the end of the series – despite the singer making a stellar acting debut.
Lisa’s performance as Mook on the show about a luxury holiday resort – and the shady characters that check in to The White Lotus – also impressed her castmates.
With The White Lotus under her belt, the triple threat performer – who can sing, dance, and act – is now eyeing Hollywood.
The singer told Variety she hoped to, one day, play a ‘badass’ in an action flick after launching her career on the hottest franchise series on TV right now.
Real name Lalisa Manobal, who is originally from Thailand, was only 13 when she beat thousands of other aspiring idols in auditions for Seoul-based label YG’s notoriously gruelling trainee scheme.
She has also recently released a song with Raye and Doja Cat, showcasing her versatility as an artist.
After The White Lotus finale premiered, bringing the curtain down on season three, Lisa paid tribute to her character and Mike White in a heartfelt Instagram post comprising several behind-the-scenes shots taken on set.
