"I started to cry": The White Lotus star Sabrina Impacciatore opens up on watching the season 2 finale with Mike White and Jennifer Coolidge

Over its two-season run, The White Lotus gave several actors a brilliant stage to exhibit their skills, key among them being Sabrina Impacciatore.

The Italian actress played Valentina, the mostly rude, at times blushing, no-nonsense manager of The White Lotus, Sicily branch. And she made it very easy to fall in love with the character’s forthright nature.

During her recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Impacciatore talked about the role that made her a household star, her Roman upbringing, and watching The White Lotus season 2 finale with surprise guests Mike White (show's creator-writer-director) and Jennifer Coolidge (lead actress).

When asked about the finale, Impacciatore said that The White Lotus producer David Bernad and his brother John arranged for a screening of the episode, and had invited several cast members for the same. But, 20 minutes before the end, White and Coolidge made a surprise entry.

Recalling her reaction to the moment, the 54-year-old actress exclaimed:

"Incredible human being (referring to White)…and he made a surprise to us with Jennifer…so can you imagine like, I started to cry!”

To note, Arrivederci, the season 2 finale of the critically acclaimed series, aired on Sunday, December 11.

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Impacciatore was “emotional” while watching The White Lotus season 2 finale

A finale is as sentimentally heavy for fans as it is for the cast and crew associated with the particular show. Impacciatore was no different. Though she watched each The White Lotus episode when it aired on Sundays, the actress admitted to Kimmel that she did so with her friends, as watching it alone on her computer isn’t her preference.

But the season 2 finale had to be a special show, so producer Bernad and his brother organized a party, for which they invited The White Lotus actors Adam DiMarco, Meghann Fahy, Jon Gries and Impacciatore.

It was during the screening of the episode that Coolidge and White made their surprise entry. Impacciatore recounted:

“We were so emotional, excited and everything…And, while we were watching the show, the door opened and Mike White and Jennifer appeared in our living room."

Impacciatore’s impeccable delivery as Valentina clearly made her a favorite overnight, but she admits that she was “scared” to play the role. During TheWrap's Power Women Summit, she said:

“Imagine me so scared to play this role and Mike White telling me, ‘You have to be b****y.’ So I thought, ‘Wow, they are going to hate me. This is the beginning and the end of my international career — two things at the same time.'”

Calling Mike White a “genius,” she gushed that it was his guidance that helped her trudge over her hesitations.

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Impacciatore talks of Valentina’s queer side and that night with Mia

Since the start of season 2, Valentina was abusive towards men. During her TheWrap interview, Impacciatore said, “She had this rage against men, she was feeling almost threatened by men, [and] she was aggressive, probably because she was not in peace with herself.”

The man who got the most of her aggression was probably Rocco, a concierge at White Lotus, who was close to Valentina’s crush Isabella.

Scene showing Valentina and Mia (Photo via HBO)

However, later on, her character's intimate sequence with Mia helped her communicate with “her secret nature.” Talking of the significance of that sequence, the Sabrina pointed out:

“A new life is starting somehow. Until that moment, she was not able to live life truly, and so it’s a new journey that starts from that moment.”

Both seasons of The White Lotus are available on HBO and HBO Max.