Parker Posey has been gaining attention in The White Lotus Season 3 thanks to the unusual accent she uses for her character Victoria Ratliff.
The HBO dramedy sees groups of wealthy vacationers collide at the affluent White Lotus hotel chain. In Season 3, the action occurs at the White Lotus in Thailand.
The Ratliff family in The White Lotus Season 3 is comprised of the wealthy family head Timothy (Jason Isaacs), his wife Victoria (played by Posey), and their three children Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), and Lochlan (Sam Nivola).
What Accent Is Parker Posey Doing In The White Lotus?
From the minute she's introduced, one thing that stands out about Victoria Ratliff is her accent.
Parker Posey utilizes a pronounced Southern accent that fits her character's North Carolina background. Victoria's husband, Timothy, has a similarly noticeable Southern drawl, which has also gained Jason Isaacs's attention. However, none of the three children in the show have the accents of their parents.
When developing the accent, Posey told Variety she drew on her background growing up in Mississippi and wanted to add a "snotty effect:"
"I wanted to bring like a snotty affect. I’ve met some really wealthy people and southerners that are almost affected so that’s what I did.
It was so fun to play. It’s the theatricality of Southerners. I’m from the South so I was so happy to bring that Tennessee Williams kind of drama, ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.’ It’s just that lady. It was a blast."
Fans Are Divided Over Parker Posey's Accent
While Posey's over-the-top accent adds to Victoria's characterization as the narcissistic, pill-popping, matriarch of the family, it has been a point of contention among The White Lotus fans.
Some fans have hailed Posey's pronounced Southern drawl as iconic. One fan on X said, "It wouldn’t be a season of The White Lotus without an over-the-top comedic performance from a veteran character actress."
Other viewers have added that Posey is filling the void left by Jennifer Coolidge's Tanya (who still has a connection to The White Lotus Season 3).
Another fan on X stated Posey's accent is "comedic gold" and provides a "camp performance of a rich white woman caricature in the same way Jennifer Coolidge [did]."
However, not all audiences have been taken by Posey's performance with some claiming it is too camp. One fan on X claimed Posey was "annoying and unconvincing" and that her accent "feels like someone pretending to be southern."
There are still six more episodes of The White Lotus left in Season 3 meaning viewers will have a few more weeks to adapt to Posey's accent before learning the outcome of her character.
New episodes of The White Lotus Season 3 are released on Max weekly on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
