“It's a Sicilian fisherman”: The White Lotus star Haley Lu Richardson teases murderer in the show

The season 2 finale of The White Lotus is right around the corner and everyone wants to know who gets killed and who kills. Haley Lu Richardson, who plays the character of Portia, offered some insight during a recent interview.

While talking to noted TV host Jimmy Kimmel on his show Jimmy Kimmel Live, Richardson revealed the real culprit will be a Sicilian fisherman who will make his debut appearance in The White Lotus season 2 finale, leaving the audience in splits.

She then quipped:

“I can’t take credit for that joke, my agent just came up with it backstage. Shout out to David.”

To recap, the penultimate episode of season 2, Abductions, showed how Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) discovered an unknown side of her husband Greg Hunt (Jon Gries), Quentin (Tom Hollander), and the latter’s nephew Jack (Leo Woodall). Tanya also warned Portia about Jack, who later told Portia the truth while drunk.

Given how the episode ended, sparks are indeed expected in the finale.

---

Why is The White Lotus different from other murder mysteries, discuss Kimmel and Richardson

In the same conversation, Kimmel and Richardson discussed why the approach of The White Lotus is different from other murder mysteries.

The host pointed out that the show's focus is on the victim or “murderee,” and that anyone can literally be killed off, which is probably The White Lotus' USP.

Jennifer Coolidge and Jon Gries in The White Lotus. (Photo via IMDb)

He added that only Daphne Sullivan, the manipulative wife of Cameron Sullivan, and aloof manager of White Lotus Sicily Valentina might not be murdered at the end of season 2. Richardson agreed and pitched in:

“Isn’t that screwed up, that literally all of the characters could be capable of murder? It’s pretty f****d up…I would believe that any of us could do it, has it in them.”

---

Richardson addresses criticisms around Portia’s outfits

Portia, played by Richardson, is Tanya's insecure assistant who joins her boss on a vacation to Sicily. Portia quickly became a fan favorite due to her eccentric and chaotic personality. Her outfits, however, are a constant subject of criticism among The White Lotus viewers.

Addressing those, Richardson told W Magazine that it was done purposely so that her apparel too reflected Portia’s confusion.

The actress said:

“Portia is consumed by TikTok and ‘the discourse’. So we thought it would make sense that she is trying hard and that she follows the mishmash trends…She makes bad choices and is lost, doing a random job, so whenever we got her dressed, we tried to tell this story in the clothes, too.”

Richardson added that she and the show’s costume designer Alex Bovaird discussed Portia’s sartorial choices at length and they chose her every outfit to mirror the character’s indecisiveness.

---

What made Richardson join season 2 of the show?

To note, the 27-year-old Arizona native joined The White Lotus team in season 2. While talking to Collider, she revealed that after watching the first season, she “was becoming obsessed with it.” She said:

“I have been obsessed with Mike White (creator of the show) for a really long time. So, when I found out there was a second season and that there was a role for me that they wanted me to audition for, I was like, “Duh! I wanna be a part of the show, yeah.”

As for working with Jennifer Coolidge, the young star shared:

“It wasn’t boring. I felt like I had time to observe her and learn from her, and be inspired and laugh, and pee my pants laughing.”

Titled Arrivederci, the finale of The White Lotus season 2 is set to hit HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, December 11.