No, Jason Isaacs Did Not Model His ‘White Lotus’ Accent After ‘Southern Charm’ Star Thomas Ravenel

After Sam Nivola, who plays Lochlan Ratliff in this season of White Lotus, told People that director Mike White told him and the rest of the Ratliff family actors to watch Bravo’s Southern Charm for character inspiration, the internet has been in a tizzy, especially about who Jason Isaacs modeled his accent after.

“Mike told us to go watch Southern Charm. In fact, Jason Isaacs, who played our dad, kind of modeled his whole accent and character off of [that cast],” Nivola said.

Based on that information, the best guess for who Isaacs studied is Thomas Ravenel, former Southern Charm villain turned attempted politician and just general bad human being.

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I can definitely see the similarities. However, Isaacs appeared on the This Morning show back in the UK and explained that his accent is modeled after a local politician from Durham, North Carolina, whom he doesn’t specifically name lest he sue him.

Southern Charm, of course, takes place in Charleston, South Carolina, and while Ravenel has dabbled in local politics, Isaacs was clearly looking to Durham for the Duke University connection, which is a big part of his character’s identity. After some intensive Googling, my best guess for the man who inspired the accent is Republican senator Ted Budd. I don’t think he’s literally from Durham, but the vibes match.

Second guess is Durham City Council member Carl Rist, who has lived in Durham since he moved there to go to Duke, but is originally from Florida.

Still, though, it’s good to know that Mike White is a Bravo fan, and the rest of the family could definitely hang with the folks of Southern Charm and fit right in.