‘With the heaviest of hearts’: ‘White Lotus’ stars Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Natasha Rothwell on fatal season finale
Perhaps they were the Romeo and Juliet of this season's The White Lotus.
By the time the bullets stopped flying in the season finale of The White Lotus, doomed lovers Rick and Chelsea were among the casualties.
Their fate seemed inevitable early in the episode once Chelsea (Aimee Lee Wood) uttered the words "amor fati" (love is fate), which serves as the episode title — signaling that tragedy was in her future. She tried in vain to prevent Rick (Walton Goggins) from seeking revenge: "Stop thinking about the love you didn't get — think about the love you have," she told him, blinking back tears.
Goggins took to Instagram after the episode ended to express his gratitude for his costar and their love story.
"Rick + Chelsea. With the heaviest of hearts," he wrote, sharing a collection of behind-the-scenes photos from the set. "To me, ours was a love story. It was only ever a love story, hindered by unresolved, childhood trauma... We all have them… but can we move past them. In the depths of our despair there is always beauty around us. If we can sit with our pain, just sit with it… not react… not be defined by it…It’s there… the love the world is constantly giving in any given moment is there. Always waiting for us to see it."
Among the post's many commenter was costar Patrick Schwarzenegger (Saxon), who wrote simply, "I'm crying."
The emotional season finale stirred plenty of emotions from all associated with the show, including the official HBO account, echoing the mourning over the loss of Rick and Chelsea. "I'm not crying, you're crying," read the caption, which accompanied a reel of their reunion earlier in the episode.
The cast — including Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan, and Leslie Bibb — shared insider photos from the final days on set. "What a trip!" wrote Coon (Laurie), who earned raves for her scene-stealing turn in the finale, where she made peace with her friends at last. "I just feel like as you get older you have to justify your life, you know, and your choices," Laurie told her friends. "I had this epiphany today. I don't need religion or God to give my life meaning. Because time gives it meaning."
“'Today is gone. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.''" posted Coon on Instagram. "Thanks Mike, and @streamonmax , our fearless crew from Thailand and the world over, and the wild bunch, of course, especially The Ladies @michellemonaghan and @mslesliebibb. What a trip."
Natasha Rothwell also expressed her gratitude to the show's writer and director, Mike White — as well as to the character she portrayed. "Thank you, Belinda," she wrote. "Portraying you has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. You gave a voice to quiet strength, to unseen labor, and to the hope we hold in the face of heartbreak. To everyone who saw her (and me) — thank you for seeing us. And to Mike White, thank you for trusting me with the show’s heart. "
Here are some more cast farewells from Monaghan, Bibb, and Jason Isaacs.