‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 has finally confirmed its filming locations in Thailand, along with some Thai cast members: Lek Patravadi, Dom Hetrakul, and Tayme Thapthimthong. Ahead of its potential release in 2025, BK thought it’d be fun to check out their filmographies and make some creative predictions based on the reliable format of rich people behaving badly.

 

The latest to join the cast of ‘The White Lotus’ season 3, Lek Patravadi joining the cast is a head-turner, a bit of Thai film royalty, awarded the title of National Artist in 2014 and credited for revolutionizing performance arts in broadcasting and on stage. 

 

 

Patravadi “Lek ” Mejudhon lived in Thailand until she was 12 before continuing her studies in England and taking acting courses in America. In 1973, she got her first big break in the film “Mai Mee Sawan Samrab Khun” playing one of two sisters who (50-year-old spoiler warning) fell in love with and killed the same man for tricking them. The role won her Best Actress at the Tukkata Thong Awards, Thailand’s premier film awards.  

 

From 1977, Lek focused on producing, directing, and writing television shows and plays. On top of that, she teaches acting, earning her the industry title Kru Lek. In 2018, she returned to the big screen for the hit murder mystery series “In Family We Trust,” playing the grandmother in a patriarchal Thai-Chinese family.  

Mike White has been hinting at themes of death, religion, and Eastern spirituality for the third season—with what we can only expect will be some pretty cringe Western takes from hotel guests. So, it’s only fitting to put Lek’s dramatic background and status as an industry staple in the role of cult leader. 

 

Like Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya, one of the privileged characters will be experiencing some sort of crisis and decide the spiritual leads to the wisdom of the Land of Smiles—and a few cults. But unlike Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda (who will be coming back this season), Lek’s character would not be the victim of a white savior project—oh no, this strong female presence will be pulling the strings and skimming cash from well-lined tourist pockets. There is, however, a problem with this theory: It’s not very Tourism Authority of Thailand approved.

 

 

The eldest heir to the Daily Newspaper and a graduate from the international faculty of business at Mahidol University, Dom Hetrakul has made a name for himself as an actor—and just look how frickin’ handsome he is. 

 

In 2004, Dom received his first lead role in “Siamese Outlaw,” and continued to pick up typical leading man roles throughout the years before sinking his teeth into period pieces and characters with more grit—like the villainous tycoon in the viral drama series, “The Giver” and the bandit in “The Outrage.”

 

He’s also previously worked on Hollywood sets in “The Man With the Iron Fist 2” and “Bangkok Dangerous.” Even done MC gigs and Thai dubs that include Bruce Wayne in “The Dark Knight” and Puss in “Shrek 3.” 

 

The first season had the hotel manager as a recovering addict who loses it with his worst guest and the second season’s woman behind the desk is a closeted who inadvertently brings about call girl havoc.

 

Dom is constantly playing roles where he’s either shirtless or in a suit. With a perfect posture and a smile that can mask all the bottled up rage from putting up with the guest’s antics, he makes the perfect candidate for the titular hotel manager. And, come on, that’s the too-handsome face of a villain. 

 

Born and raised in England for over 20 years, Tayme Thapthimthong has worked as a nightclub guard, trained to be a military commando, and even had a brief internship as a service manager in a hotel. Having graduated from Kensington University in performing arts, Tayme’s ultimate goal was to pursue a career in entertainment. 

 

He got himself on the map by joining season 10 of the popular singing reality show “Academy Fantasia” where he took home the runner up title. Before pivoting to acting roles like the abbott in Netflix’s “Thai Cave Rescue” (2022) and a police officer in the series “Farang” (2017).

 

This one’s hard to nail down because he’s a bit of a bad ass, but he also has experience in the hotel industry—not to mention his pipes. Whatever the case, the locals don’t often fare too well in “The White Lotus.” So, even with his combat and singing skills, we think this talented actor will be hard-done-by hotel staff—who you really shouldn’t have messed with.