Blackpink’s Lisa on starring in ‘The White Lotus’ and facing an ‘ocean’ of K-pop fans

Vanity Fair: The White Lotus is your first acting role. How did you prepare? Have you taken acting lessons?

Lisa: I did take lessons a few times, but my schedule isn’t very flexible, so I eventually stopped. Everyone on set was so professional. They understood that it was my first time acting, so they tried to help me and give me advice like, “Oh, you shouldn’t stress.” You’ll be fine. “

Have you introduced your castmates to your favorite things to do in Thailand?

I didn’t give them any advice because they actually introduced me to some places! They say, “Oh, I was there yesterday and it’s really good, you should go.” It was kind of weird, but it was funny. I’m just glad they enjoyed Thailand, the Thai food, the culture and the weather because it’s very hot there. The crew and the rest of the team started speaking a little bit of Thai and it just really impressed me.

My mom came to visit a few times and I was able to enjoy as much Thai food as I wanted. It was so beautiful and I have never spent so much time in Thailand after leaving. I felt like I was home and this trip also gave me a lot of energy.

You grew up speaking Thai, but how did you learn Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese?

I mean, I don’t know if I’ve gotten that good! I don’t think I have the talent for languages, but living in Korea meant I had to learn. I had to survive, I guess. It was just common sense: to get what I wanted, I had to learn and try to talk to local people, and I spent more and more time doing that.

And I watch a lot of K-dramas. Right now I’m watching one on Netflix called Love from next door. I just love the combination of the male character and the girl character – they start out as friends! They have been friends for 30 years. These things feel so real. [K-dramas are] Nothing too serious. So when I need to try and calm myself down, I look at them and it really helps.