Carrie Coon - The White Lotus FYC

One thing you must know about me is as a devoted fan of television especially episodic television is once I discover an acting talent on a multiple season running series (limited series too) and genuinely obsess over their individual work they become a love of mine for all time where I will seek out projects solely because they are featured in them. Carrie Coon is a perfect example of this part of my fandom having adored her work as Nora Durst on all three seasons of HBO's little seen yet rightfully favourite drama The Leftovers. I mean looking back on my personal television choice awards I'd have awarded her individually for her work on the shows first and third seasons.

What has attracted me to Coon as a performer over the past decade of knowing her is how grounded her craft a lot of her work feels. She first came to my attention as a name when she received a Tony nomination 2013 Broadway revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? playing Honey. While I never saw the production live I've seen enough clips and knowing the role in the show imagine she was deserving of her acclaim. Her work in the theatre is mighty and this commitment to always returning to the stage even as her name has exploded in the filmed medias goes to show how the tasks and challenges that performing live requires of an actor is essential to Coon's greatness and I'm sure makes her a brilliant collaborator in the many filmed media I've seen starring her.

So since 2014 I have lived through the highs of her leading roles in films and television shows like The Nest (2020), The Gilded Age (2022-present) and His Three Daughters (2023) as well as the lows like the two Ghostbusters films which I admittedly have not seen as a point of principal in wanting to support Carrie at her best creatively which I'm sure those films never seek out to showcase.

So to focus in on why I've decided to write this piece on Carrie is in relation to her inclusion in the third season of HBO's highly successful drama The White Lotus which completed it's eight episode run last night. When the casting Coon alongside the many recognisible names was initially announced at the beginning of 2024 I got so excited as having seen the previous two seasons I was aware of how kind Mike White's writing has been to the actors he casts with actresses like Jennifer Coolidge and Meghann Fahy in seasons past doing career best work under his direction. All this to say I knew Carrie had to have something worthwhile to do on the season yet I was truly not prepared for how brilliant she was each and every week.

Carrie with her roles on The Leftovers and The Gilded Age is not stranger to matinee HBO Sunday night programming so when I got into the beginning of this season and seeing the storyline Coon had set in front of her from the first episode through the finale I was thankfully catered to as a Carrie fan the entire season. Coon on the season played Laurie Duffy one of three longtime gal pals whose journey to Thailand brought about past insecurities, current questions and future choices that all three women dealt with in relation to one another as we experienced the full beauty and ugliness of their friendship. Even as I questioned certain narratives of the season everything related to this friend group always entertained me and Coon was a big part of what made this fully realised group be so fascinating.

Coon has had many brilliant moments to play throughout the season including but not limited to Laurie exhausted sob to herself at the end of the premiere, drunkenly dancing in a Thailand club, nastily cutting into her friends performative ally-ship and most especially in the season finale a tearful yet life affirming speech about how she values this three women friendship. Coon is a master of moments whether they be comedic or dramatic which is why this dinner table monologue is so affecting due to Coon's ability to build dramatically to the point that when Laurie tears up it feels earned and like a genuine human release of emotion. Carrie also makes this moment feel like an honest release that while scripted well does feel like something Laurie would freely admit and truly there is such beauty to Carrie's delivery.

Ultimately I'm just so thrilled to say that it has been a pleasure watching this latest season of The White Lotus if for nothing more than experiencing more folks be converted to the church that is Carrie Coon. My whole reason in writing this piece has been to express my long standing adoration for Carrie Coon and wanting to encourage others who've maybe grown to know her from White Lotus is to encourage them to check out all her other amazing work. I'm especially speaking about her performance in Sean Durkin's The Nest (2020) which is among the great performances by a leading actress this decade that not nearly enough people have watched. I also hope those who loved Carrie on The White Lotus tune into the third season of The Gilded Age where Coon will be returning to play Bertha Russell the class chasing new society rich woman a role which late last year earned the actress her second Emmy nomination. If we want that brilliant show to run for more seasons (as it should) we need more audience members to tune in as the show is deserving of it's acclaim and while the girls, gays and they's have always loved the show it deserves a wide variety of viewers because of how fun a show it has been to watch weekly.

If you have someone made it through this whole piece thank you and if you love Carrie Coon as I do I'm curious when did you first take notice of her if you did so before The White Lotus. Goodbye and until next time

WE LOVE YOU CARRIE COON.