Haley Lu Richardson says 'White Lotus' fans who think her character Portia is 'the real villain of the show' need to 'go to therapy'

• Haley Lu Richardson appeared on Variety's "Just for Variety" podcast.
• Richardson addressed "White Lotus" fans who felt her character was the "real villain" of season two.

Haley Lu Richardson defended her "White Lotus" character, Portia, by saying fans who believed she was "the real villain of the show" need to "go to therapy."

Richardson shared her thoughts about fans hating Portia during Wednesday's episode of Variety's "Just for Variety" podcast. She first played the character in season two of "White Lotus," which aired in October 2022. The show has won several Emmy Awards since it debuted in July 2021.

"The one thing that I thought was actually kind of unfair and warped was the people who were saying that she was awful or she was the real villain of the season," Richardson said, adding that she believes Portia is not nearly as bad as other characters.

"There's no way that you can look at that young woman and be like, 'She is the most awful one on this show.' People who think that should go to therapy," she added.

In the same interview, Richardson acknowledged that she wasn't used to fame when season two aired, and that seeing her character criticized online initially upset her. She told the podcast host that she learned to separate herself from criticism meant for Portia.

"I just hadn't been in that situation before, so I did get sad," Richardson said. "There was probably the first couple of episodes where I was seeing some things and reactions to things with Portia and me that I was taking personally or I wasn't fully sure how to take it or how to process it."

Richardson said she eventually "leaned into it" and enjoyed learning people's opinions about her character.

While not much is known about season three, sources close to production told Variety in March that filming would take place in Thailand. The outlet reported that filming for the two previous seasons took place at Four Seasons resorts in Hawaii and Italy, respectively, so season three could occur at one of the country's four properties.

Showrunner Mike White revealed in the "Unpacking S2 E7" clip featured after the season two finale that he wanted season three to take place in Asia and discuss "death and Eastern religion and spirituality."

"The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex," White said. "I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus."