Jennifer Coolidge's Brutally Honest Thoughts About What Happens To Tanya In The White Lotus

April 2024 · 5 minute read

Quick Links

Spoilers Ahead For The End Of The White Lotus Season 2For better or for worse, White Lotus creator Mike White has absolutely shocked his fanbase. The end of the acclaimed second season has caused a massive stir online. Some have vowed never to watch the show again while other think it's brilliant. Regardless, there were a lot of unanswered questions. For example, even actor Leo Woodall has no clue what happened to Jack at the end of the series. Then there's what really went on between Ethan and Cameron behind the scenes. Not to mention what they did or didn't do with each other's wives.

But one thing is certain... and that's Jennifer Coolidge's fate at the end of the season.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Legally Blonde and Best In Show star revealed her extremely honest feelings about Tanya's demise as well as her future involvement in The White Lotus series.

Jennifer Coolidge On What Happened To Tanya In The White Lotus

Jennifer Coolidge's Tanya is one of only two characters from the first season of The White Lotus to return. But it's extremely unlikely that she will return for the upcoming third season. She did die, after all. During her interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Legally Blonde icon revealed that she was disappointed for her character when she read what happened to her in the season finale.

"My initial reaction was just, 'Oh my God, Tanya was so close to having a victory.' And an unlikely victory for someone like her, that she would have been able to manage a gun and save herself," Coolidge said to THR.

"She’s such a sad character, wouldn’t it have been cool if she survived? But Mike White is one of those people where you’re shooting something, and he is all about the reality. Like in that part where I picked up the bucket and I went over and hit him on the head with it, Mike says, 'No, it’s not believable Jennifer, it’s not believable.' So I think Mike wanted it to be about how not everyone really gets to win in the end, even a tragic figure."

Coolidge went on to admit that she thinks it's "terrible" that Tanya passes away in the end. And that her husband, Greg, gets away with all of the money.

"So it has a sad taste in your mouth. I guess I didn’t like that I was so close to prevailing."

Related: How Adam DiMarco Really Feels About His White Lotus Character, Albie Di Grasso

Jennifer Coolidge went on to say that filming the action sequence prior to Tanya's demise wasn't challenging. The difficult part was being on the boat.

"What really threw me off, again — and I told Mike White about this — is that I get really nauseous on boats. I told him on White Lotus 1 when he got to experience that with me when I got very ill on that boat in Hawaii, where I had to throw the ashes in the water," Coolidge said to THR. "I ruined the day of filming for so many people on that boat because I was just holding that bucket and making everyone else feel sick."

Related: The Real Reason Will Sharpe Wanted To Play Ethan In The White Lotus Season 2

Despite Mike White vowing never to put Jennifer Coolidge on a boat again, he made sure to stick her on one for her final scene. Not only that, but he has her character actually taken out by one.

Will Jennifer Coolidge Return As Tanya In The White Lotus Season 3?

Given that Jennifer Coolidge's character, Tanya, meets her end in The White Lotus season 2, it seems highly unlikely that she would return for the third season of the smash-hit HBO show. But during her interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the beloved actor intimated that she very well could come back... in some form. However, creator Mike White is the man to be convinced.

"Mike is someone where you can’t just talk him out of things," Coolidge said to THR. "Most of the decisions he makes, I have to say, later I look back and I’m like, 'Oh my God, Mike White was right again.' Who knows if people were going to get tired of Tanya? Who knows? My only bummer is that I guess any way to bring back Tanya would have to be a prequel to White Lotus 1."

Coolidge then added that flashbacks could be another way of incorporating her character moving forward.

Related: How Sabrina Impacciatore's Personal Life Revealed The Truth About Her White Lotus Character, Valentina

"I’m just sad, you know, I’m just sad," Jennifer Coolidge continued in her interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "I’m sad I couldn’t have played a happier Tanya! Because there are so many possibilities when someone’s not depressed; when someone’s depressed, it’s hard to get through the day. Who knows what she could have done?"

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGihnqaenrOmvoycpqikmZm0pnnToZxmr5iewaZ5y6irrqtdmbKiwMdmnKecmaO0br7EmpqtoZ%2BjfA%3D%3D