The actor also notes showrunner Mike White’s writing helped him find his character’s humanity: “He can boil us down to our most animalistic urges.”
Theo James was in a London park when he learned he was nominated for his first Emmy for his role as chaotic finance bro Cameron on HBO’s The White Lotus, and when the British actor got on the phone with THR, he hadn’t yet had a chance to talk to any of his co-stars — many of whom were also nominated. Overall, The White Lotus racked up 23 nominations during the July 12 announcement.
That was his plan after he hung up. “I’m going to try to get a hold of people, and then I think I’m going to have a drink,” he says. “An alcoholic drink. I haven’t chosen which one.” The next stop? Reading Julia Donaldson’s book Room on the Broom to his daughter. “That’s probably what I’ll be doing,” he adds. “A drink and then a children’s story.”
In this season of Mike White’s saga of rich folks in beautiful settings and their petty problems, James’ Cameron and Meghann Fahy’s Daphne are the gorgeous and toxically happy couple who corrupt Will Sharpe and Aubrey Plaza’s more miserable and measured pair. For James, playing Cameron meant finding himself liking a horrible person.
What was your reaction to the nom?
It’s very, very exciting. I just got a call from Mikey Boy as well, and he’s calling everyone and congratulating [them]. It’s a lot down to his writing, obviously. I’m very happy for everyone else in the show, as well.
Sorry, did you just call Mike White “Mikey Boy”?
(Laughs.) Yeah.
Can you talk a little bit about the journey that Cameron took you on? How did the acting of it surprise you throughout the process?
I mean, it was definitely a process because I needed to frame him in a way in which I liked him myself. If you need to play someone convincing, even if it’s the most abhorrent person, you need to find pieces of the person in yourself. You need to find pieces of the person that you enjoy and like. He was funny in a way because I ended up liking him or convincing myself that I liked him — so much that when I was watching the show, I was reminded of what an abhorrent person he was. I was like, “No, but he’s a great guy. He may do terrible things, but he’s effusive and charming and he loves people around him.” But in a way he’s part sociopath, because he’s bent on disruption. That’s his kind of main thing. He gets off on disrupting everyone around him.
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