BLACKPINK singer Lisa to star as ‘White Lotus’ hits Thailand

(FILES) Thai singer Lisa from the group BLACKPINK accepts the Best K-pop award for ‘Lalisa during the MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on August 28, 2022. Singer Lisa of megastar K-pop girl group BLACKPINK will join the cast of “The White Lotus”, HBO said on February 13, 2024, as the third season of the hit TV series moves to her homeland Thailand. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

Singer Lisa of megastar K-pop girl group BLACKPINK will join the cast of “The White Lotus”, HBO said Tuesday, as the third season of the hit TV series moves to her homeland Thailand.

Filming for the latest round of the award-winning dark comedy is set to begin this month in Bangkok as well as the holiday islands of Phuket and Ko Samui.

Lisa, full name Lalisa Manobal, will feature in the show alongside veteran Hollywood star Scott Glenn, HBO’s streaming service Max said in a post on its official account on social media platform X.

The 26-year-old is perhaps Thailand’s best-known celebrity, with legions of adoring fans and her image plastered on adverts across the kingdom.

A dark, stylish satire on wealth and hypocrisy, “The White Lotus” has been a commercial and critical hit for HBO, with both previous seasons garnering multiple Emmy nominations.

The second season, set in Sicily, reportedly fuelled a spike in searches for travel to the southern Italian island — something Thai tourism bosses are hoping to repeat.

But the show suffered a blow earlier this month when producers were forced to drop Serbian actor Milos Bikovic after Ukraine complained about his ties to Russia.