The White Lotus' Anthology Structure Made It A 'Win-Win' For Michael Imperioli
Among the many big names to join the cast in "The White Lotus" season 2, Michael Imperioli was maybe the most exciting. (Well, second most. Aubrey Plaza had him beat.) Although he's never retired from acting at any point, he hasn't been in many big, high-profile movies or shows since "The Sopranos" ended. At least, not including "Many Saints of Newark," where he played the same character.
So it was fun to watch him play Dominic Di Grasso, a much more low-key, even-tempered man than Christopher Moltisanti ever was. While Dominic does have a similar infidelity problem, he does at least seem genuinely remorseful for his actions, and he isn't revealed to have any sort of hidden violent dark side throughout the season, despite what the early episodes seemed to hint at. And after six seasons of Christopher getting worse and worse, it's nice to see Imperioli play a character who actually kind of grows as a person.
For Imperioli, a big draw to the part was the show's anthology structure. Although a few characters did carry over from season 1, viewers don't need to have seen the first season to understand what their deal is here. The majority of the season 2 cast was comprised of completely new characters, and they will most likely not be returning for season 3 either.
"It was a kind of win-win situation," Imperioli told the Hollywood Reporter, "because it's like you're on a new show but it's already a hit. It's a very rare opportunity and situation that I've never been in."
A little less pressure
The benefit isn't just that Michael Imperioli knew from the moment he was cast that the show wouldn't be a total flop; it was also that he wouldn't have to deal with all that awkwardness that usually comes with being the new guy on an ongoing show with a well-established cast.
"You might join a hit show in the third season or something as a new cast member," Imperioli continued. It's a far more difficult situation to be in because all the focus is going to be on you. Sometimes this turns out for the best — I don't think anyone's ever complained about Leon (J.B. Smoove) showing up six seasons into "Curb Your Enthusiasm," for instance — but a lot of times the actor/character gets an unfair amount of blame for problems already inherent in the show. Most of the criticisms of the final season of "That '70s Show," for instance, fell squarely on the head of poor newcomer Randy (Josh Meyers), even though the show was on a downward spiral long before he came aboard.
But for season 2 of "The White Lotus," expectations were spread out among the whole cast. There was no question of how Imperioli would fit into the show's existing dynamic because the existing dynamic had already been completely shaken up. "The challenge is just living up to what they did in the first season," Imperioli explained, and the challenge wasn't just his to bear.