Hello, this is Josh Behrman, the co-host with Gia Tolentino of the official White Lotus companion podcast for season three.

And we are here with a bonus episode with Mike White.

Mike is, of course, the creator of the show, but it's also worth noting that he is the writer and director and executive producer, which is not really common in television.

So what's emerged is a TV show that's sort of like auteur film.

I've known Mike for a long time.

We've worked together, and I think it's not a secret.

He doesn't really like to talk about his work that much.

But we're going to get a chance to do so and dive in.

And so next we have Mike White.

Mike, thank you so much for talking to us today.

Oh, thank you for doing this.

Yeah, this is going to be fun.

We're deep in it, and so we're obviously super excited to talk to you about it.

Dave Burnad told the story about you being on a nebulizer when you were in Thailand early on,

and this season materializing in your mind almost fully formed from that nebulizer.

Yeah, it was a really weird thing, and I'm like, thinking, no, I guess I'm like, now that this is over and like four seasons, I'm like,

should I get bronchitis again? What was in it? Can I have some? Yeah, it is a true story.

We were scouting in Thailand. And Thailand was kind of just a stocking horse because

I really wanted to shoot in Japan because I'd had more fun in Japan the times I'd visited.

But I was having a really good time in Thailand, and then I got sick, and then they put me

on this nebulizer, and I did not sleep for two days.

And I had had some of these, there were some

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