Haley Lu Richardson, who stars in HBO's White Lotus, revealed on Tuesday a funny—and potentially embarrassing—behind-the-scenes moment during filming.
The actress embodies Portia on Season 2, an angsty Gen Z assistant to the eccentric and exceedingly wealthy socialite Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge). She opened up about what it's like to act alongside the reliably funny Coolidge on Tuesday's episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show.
After host Jennifer Hudson asked if it's fun working with Coolidge, Richardson replied in the affirmative. She also described her co-star as "the most unique person I've ever met."
Richardson then went on to open up about why it can actually be—erm, tricky to film with Coolidge at times.
"They do all these different shots when you're filming something," she began. "And there's so many times where it's over my shoulder on Jennifer, and my character's so reactionary to her."
Richardson continued: "And she's going off on all these tangents. She's doing all this stuff. She's so chaotic—in this genius way—and I'm just trying everything I can to not, like, laugh or not ruin the shot by, like, moving my shoulders. And it's really hard when you're trying not to laugh. You're trying to be serious. You're trying to stay in character. You're like squeezing so you're still, so you're not ruining the amazing thing she's doing."
The actress then went on to further illustrate her point.
"We were filming—randomly it was really cold, but it was supposed to look like summer. So I was like doing all this, and I peed myself a couple of times," Richardson said, prompting laughter from the audience. "I did, and I'm not just saying that to be a story; [it was] literally like a tablespoon of pee. Like, I had to go to the bathroom after."
Richardson's memorable portrayal of Portia has earned her heaps of new fans. And her character's unique fashion choices have divided viewers, with some praising the bold 'fits and others tearing them down.
For her part, Coolidge's performance during White Lotus' first season landed her an Emmy for best-supporting actress earlier this year.
The Season 2 finale of White Lotus will air on HBO this coming Sunday, December 11, at 9 p.m. Eastern. The show recently confirmed an upcoming third season.
Newsweek reached out to representatives for Richardson for additional comment.
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