Parker Posey Shows Off Her Over-the-Top ‘White Lotus’ Accent

Parker Posey’s White Lotus accent drew laughs from Today host Craig Melvin and the show’s crew on Wednesday as the actor shared her favorite words to say in her character’s over-the-top drawl.

Posey’s Victoria Ratliff on the juicy HBO drama’s third season has quickly become a fan favorite, as social media pounced on her “excessive” South Carolina accent.

When Posey appeared on Today Wednesday, she offered up a few words in character during her interview with host Craig Melvin—a native South Carolinian—to his amusement. Melvin ultimately couldn’t contain his laughter during the interview—and neither could the show’s crew off camera.

“I love Southern women characters… so being able to be this dramatic and funny is just so juicy and fun to do,” Posey told Melvin. “It starts with the dialogue. There’s such funny words, like, I love ‘tsunami!’” she said in the Victoria Ratliff accent. “Buddhism,” is another favorite word to say in the accent, she continued, this time causing Melvin to have to catch his breath through laughter so he could continue the interview.

Posey, though born in Maryland, was raised in Louisiana and Mississippi, so Southern accents in general are not foreign to her—but she talked about how she and show creator Mike White perfected its comical over-emphasis. She explained that the Lotus character’s accent actually grew out of her roles in several Christopher Guest films like 2000’s Best in Show.

“When I was working on the Chris Guest movies, Chris and I would joke and we’d go, ‘Nooo’” in a comical southern accent, which easily translated, she explained, when she delivered lines like “Piper, nooo,” to her on-screen Lotus daughter (Sarah Catherine Hook).

As delighted as viewers have been with Posey’s accent online (for better or worse), Posey said she won’t be experiencing her work from that perspective until she gets some distance from filming. “I don’t watch myself,” she said, “I’m on to the next job. I lived it.” Pressed further, Posey agreed to “watch it in the summer when there’s a little bit of a break.”