Eighteen years ago, Walton Goggins sat on a Bangkok hotel balcony overlooking the Chao Phraya River, chain-smoking his way through Buddhist texts trying to make sense of some deep personal trauma. So when he returned nearly two decades later – this time as Rick Hatchett, his character in The White Lotus – the lines between memory and performance began to blur.
In the wake of episode five, Goggins recounts his personal full-circle moment when shooting The White Lotus: ‘Our last day of filming I was with someone, and we were filming on the Chao Phraya River that runs right through the middle of Bangkok, and as we were pulling in for the night’s work, I looked up, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I recognised this dock we were pulling up to and I said ‘well wait a minute, I know this dock. I know this place’. And I looked up and I saw the room that I stayed in that first night I landed in Bangkok for a week, 18 years earlier.’
Tapping into his own past, Goggins has brought an uncanny authenticity to Rick’s search for peace – what many are already calling one of his best performances to date. ‘Here I am filming, you know, pretending to play this guy who’s looking for peace,’ he says, ‘and looking up at this balcony thinking: Oh, man, I just want to hug you, you know? I wish I could tell you that everything was going to be okay.’
They say acting is easier when the story hits close to home – and in Bangkok, it seems personal journeys come with the territory. Whether the hotel where the then 36-year-old Goggins’ found himself was a place of run-down charm or discreet luxury is anyone’s guess – but where he landed this time, both on set and in spirit, is crystal clear.
What happens in Bangkok, stays in Bangkok
In episode five, a scene unfolds in Bangkok’s legendary Bamboo Bar that’s already being etched into The White Lotus lore: a smoky, jazz-scored monologue delivered by Sam Rockwell as Frank, sat cross legged, sipping chamomile tea and peeling back layers of his character's dark, sexual journey of self-discovery and self-loathing.
The memes of Rick Hatchett staring back, perfecting the ‘we listen and we don’t judge’ face, are nothing short of cultural history in the making.
And if you haven’t seen the episode yet, consider this your spoiler-free nudge. You’ll want to catch up – not just for the drama, but for the shared cultural gasp that followed.
Drama aside, the Mandarin Oriental’s Bamboo Bar in which the scene was shot, has long been more than just a filming location. Firmly on the radar of in-the-know Bangkokians and set-jetters alike, this jazz-soaked hideaway has officially entered its main character era.
Truth be told, we can’t help but feel slightly trolled by the show’s writer and director, Mike White, given the most complete ‘spiritual journey’ we’ve seen so far is such an unexpectedly dark deviation from the original trailers’ teasings. And yet, it works. There’s a strangely compelling trichotomy at play between the characters, their actors and the emotional terrain that seems to unfold naturally in a city like Bangkok.
And to think – the very place Goggins unknowingly returned to then became the backdrop for Rick Hatchett’s unraveling. Pure coincidence? Maybe. Or it’s just the kind of poetic serendipity Bangkok seems to serve without blinking.
Step into the drama at Mandarin Oriental
Anthony Tyler, Area Vice President, Operations and General Manager of Mandarin Oriental revealed his moments with the cast and director, saying, ‘When Mike White arrived at the hotel during his recent visit, the first thing he said was, ‘I’m home.’’
And honestly, it tracks. Whether you're a globe-trotting writer behind an HBO sensation or a traveller flying under the radar, the Mandarin Oriental has long been a waypoint for the storied and the seeking.
For 150 years Mandarin Oriental has been a waypoint for luminaries and contemporaries alike, from writers like Somerset Maugham, Joseph Conrad and John le Carré to modern-day figures such as Pico Lyer and Paul Theroux, all drawn in by the curious, slightly mysterious, charm of the hotel’s inner sanctums.
Since its establishment in 1953 as Bangkok’s first jazz venue, the now-iconic Bamboo Bar has subsequently served as a cornerstone in Bangkok's social scene with an atmospheric blend of jazz music, stiff drinks and an air of post-World War II sophistication. It’s the kind of place that feels like a secret, even when it’s packed.
However, it wasn’t always located on the riverside. Before 1972, the Bamboo Bar was tucked beside the Author’s Lounge, making it a quiet speakeasy for jazz and conversation. After moving to the River Wing of the hotel, it stepped into the global limelight, drawing a guest list that reads like a hall of fame. Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Audrey Hepburn, Mick Jagger – at some point or another, they all pulled up a barstool.
Fast forward to 2014, and the bar underwent its most dramatic glow-up in decades, introducing leopard and zebra-print cushions, cane furniture and slow-spinning rattan fans that still define the space today.
To mark its starring role in The White Lotus season three, the bar’s mixologists have stirred up a signature show-branded cocktail crafted exclusively for the occasion, served with a generous twist of cinematic flair.
And no, sorry, chamomile tea is not an ingredient.
‘The Lotus Unfolds’ package stay
As if sipping a cocktail at The Bamboo Bar wasn’t already peak set-jetting fantasy, the Mandarin Oriental has gone full The White Lotus with a brand-new stay package that drops you straight into the show’s world of quiet luxury, slow-burn chaos and riverside revelations.
From the moment you arrive, you will be welcomed by none other than Khun Mayuree, Guest Relations Director and surprise extra in season three. A beloved figure with over 35 years of service under her belt, Khun Mayuree’s legendary warmth has charmed guests for decades – including Mike White himself, who took to the hotel’s Author’s Lounge to refine the narrative that would eventually shape season three.
As part of the stay package, you can follow in the show's footsteps – quite literally – with a curated excursion through Bangkok’s historic districts and iconic hotel scenes. Think temple murals, tucked-away alleys and hidden stories that inspired everything from opening shots to narrative twists.
Inside, afternoon tea is served at the Authors’ Lounge, where portraits of literary greats line the walls – now with the inclusion of Mike White, naturally. As night falls, follow Rick’s footsteps and make your way to The Bamboo Bar – the effortlessly glamorous setting for that iconic monologue, if only the words were not etched on your mind forever.
Thankfully in this personal version of The White Lotus, you don’t have to suffer to feel something. You just have to check in for two nights in your suite of choice, which also includes breakfast at The Verandah (home to a jaw-dropping Thai mural that first caught White’s eye and inspired the series three intro sequence) and themed amenities that channel the show's mood without the emotional baggage.
And if it’s wellness you’re after – actual wellness, not just vague spiritual yearning like the Ratliffe family – The Oriental Spa delivers with centuries-old Thai healing traditions and treatments that help ground you physically, and spiritually.