The White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge and the show’s creator, Mike White, have been added to the program of Sydney’s Vivid festival, organisers announced on Friday.
Coolidge, who on Thursday was named one of the world’s most influential people in Time magazine alongside the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, delivered the news in a video filmed from a bed while wearing a robe, saying: “Hey Australia, it’s Jennifer Coolidge and I’ve just got really exciting news.”
Coolidge and White, who are close friends, will discuss their careers in an event as part of Vivid Ideas, which brings together film-makers, authors, actors and more.
White, who previously wrote comedies including School of Rock, has found a new level of fame with The White Lotus, which has taken the world by storm as one of the several recent cultural works satirising the lives of the ultra-rich. After two seasons set in Hawaii and Sicily, the writer and director is currently working on the third season, which is likely to be set in Thailand.
Coolidge, who previously appeared in comedies American Pie, Best in Show and Legally Blonde, has had a career revival for her star turn in the first two seasons of The White Lotus, winning Golden Globe, Emmy, Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild awards for her role as the vulnerable millionaire Tanya McQuoid.
Beloved as a gay icon, Coolidge briefly featured at Sydney WorldPride this year, delivering a video message at the opening concert.
Vivid Sydney has landed major figures from the entertainment industry including Baz Luhrmann and Spike Lee, but on Friday the organisers said Coolidge and White were one of their biggest gets since the festival began in 2009.
The Vivid festival director, Gill Minervini, said the conversation between White, Coolidge and chair Benjamin Law would allow audiences to “see behind the curtain on what has become a massive cultural zeitgeist and hear from two of the hottest figures in the creative industries right now”.
The New South Wales minister for jobs and tourism, John Graham, said White and Coolidge’s presence “will be a huge drawcard for fans from near and far” and that he hoped they would “fall in love with NSW when they visit”.
White and Coolidge’s event will be on 10 June at ICC Sydney in Darling Harbour. Vivid Sydney runs 26 May to 17 June.
