The White Lotus cast used Hindu priest to 'keep evil spirits away' from filming

The White Lotus cast including Walton Goggins, Aimee Lou Wood, Carrie Coon and were blessed by a Hindu priest to "keep evil spirits away" before filming.

The Spirit House shrine area at the Four Seasons Koh Samui features in the dramatic finale of - with troubled character Gaitok praying in front of a four faced Buddha, a representation of Brahma, while burning incense and lighting a candle as he struggles to make a difficult decision.

creator Mike White assembled the whole cast and crew together at this shrine before filming started to bless the production, which was filmed over four months at the location where they all lived for the duration.

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The blessing ceremony honoured the ancestors of the land, as well as praying for good fortune for the production of the HBO series. Four Seasons manager Jasjit “JJ” Assi explains of the ceremonies: “At the start of filming they had a local Hindu priest here to bless the filming. It’s about success and keeping evil spirits away.”

Religious ceremonies in Thailand often combine elements of both Buddhism and Hinduism. The cast were certainly blessed, as they stayed in the resort’s swanky Residences during filming, which cost around £10,000-per-night.

Mike has explained the religious element of the series was based on his own experiences with Buddhism. He has said: “I had a Buddhist self-help phase when I had a nervous breakdown in my 30s. I use Buddhist concepts as a way to sort of organise my ideas.”

Staff at the resort regularly pray at the Spirit House, as Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) does in the show, and guests at the hotel can attend peaceful ceremonies that involve chanting and sound bowls, while donating gifts to their ancestors here.

Guests are also invited to make three wishes during the ceremony, which Gaitok may have been during as the finale reached its climax. In the episode he is seen asking himself: “If I were the Buddha, what would I do?” The series also followed as Ratliff family daughter Piper explored living at a Buddhist monastery.

Buddhist readings by monks have peppered the series, with one reciting: “Identity is a prison. No-one is spared this prison. Rich man, poor man, success or failure. We build the prison, lock ourselves inside, then throw away the key.”

However, Sarah Catherine Hook, who plays Piper, has admitted that her character’s “genuine” interest in Buddhism is also ironic.

She has previously laughed: “What is funny is that of course this little rich girl is like: ‘Yeah, my next move, for my life and career, I’m going to let my dad pay for me to live in a monastery for a year. This is so classic White Lotus! I think a lot of it comes from a place of shame and guilt, but also like a genuine curiosity. I think she’s someone who doesn’t do things lightly and has taken her studies very seriously. I think she is like a little philosopher.”

Other scenes were shot at separate Spirit Houses, including the series opener featuring Belinda's son Zion, while Belinda and Porchai visited another.

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