From creator/writer/director Mike White, the second installment of the HBO series The White Lotus is set at a beautiful resort in Sicily, Italy, where hotel manager Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore) is ready to assist various guests in achieving everything they want out of their trip, whether that’s with family, for business reasons, or of a more romantic nature. When the men of the Di Grasso family – Bert (F. Murray Abraham), Dominic (Michael Imperioli) and Albie (Adam DiMarco) – arrive for what was supposed to be a family vacation until the Di Grasso women had decided they’d had enough, Dominic immediately finds himself getting entangled with a local who takes advantage of the resort’s wealthy clientele.

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Abraham and Imperioli talked about why they wanted to be a part of the second season, not knowing exactly where things would go for their characters, how clear the scripts were, the challenge of making it real, how Dominic has been most shaped by his father Bert, the ripple effects through generations of a family, and the experience of working with White.

Collider: What made you guys want to be a part of this? Had you seen the first season, or was it this family dynamic that you wanted to explore?

F. MURRAY ABRAHAM: Wait, stop right there and think about it. It was shooting in Sicily with this script, with Mike White, and with this cast. How can you say no? You just say, “Please, please, please.”

Michael, did you know what the full arc would be for your character?

MICHAEL IMPERIOLI: Actually, no. To be honest, I had not seen the first season. There was interest in me. I had a couple of scenes that they wanted me to put on tape, which were good, but didn’t really give away a lot. And then, I went and watched Season 1, and I was very taken by the writing, the filmmaking and the acting. Sicily was a huge draw, as well. But after watching Season 1, I knew that I was in the hands of a really excellent writer and creator. I didn’t need to know exactly where it was going.

Murray, how about for you? There are a lot of little things about your character that it seems like it would be really fun for an actor to explore, but was all of that defined? Were some of those things what you brought to it?

ABRAHAM: It was really all on the page. I have to give [Mike White] complete credit for it. There was some improvisation, but very little. It wasn’t necessary. It was very clear and simple and straightforward. It jumped off the page to me. Some parts do that, and this one did. Generally speaking, I think his stuff does that for actors. It’s very clear, and it’s just simply very good.

Michael, was there anything that you found most challenging about this for you? With everything that your character goes through, was there a scene or an aspect of this that was particularly difficult to do?

IMPERIOLI: Yeah, it’s always challenging to make it real and give it its justice. It was an exciting challenge because it’s very juicy and very meaty. It’s material that you want to get. A character that’s in conflict with himself and what he’s doing is very interesting and lets you really work and sink your teeth into it, as an actor. It was all challenging, but a very welcome challenge.

How would you say that your character has most been shaped by his father, and does he even have the self-awareness to realize that?

IMPERIOLI: That’s a really good question. I think he’s realizing it now. He’s just started to admit to himself what he’s been doing, and he’s trying to understand what he’s doing. It’s always something that he compartmentalized and justified. And then, really having to look at the past and what he saw his father do, he certainly can’t blame everything on his father, but he might want to. It’s more convenient to blame his father than it is to take responsibility for it. We’re born to who we’re born to, and for better or worse, we have to deal with that.

Murray, how does your character feel about the ripple effects his behavior has had on his son and his grandson?

ABRAHAM: Speaking as a feminist who grew up in an absolutely macho household with a Middle Eastern mentality and an Italian mentality of the father as the patriarch, I grew up with that man as my father. I’m still under that cloud. It’s a very difficult thing to shake because it was my whole life, so I understand it.

Would you say that, by the time we get to the end of this season, we’ll have a full picture of who your characters are, and do you think that we’ll see them any differently?

ABRAHAM: You’ll have to wait to find out.

IMPERIOLI: You’ll learn something, definitely. There’s a certain completion to their stories and their arcs.

What was it like to go through this whole process with Mike White, as the creator, writer and director? What’s that like, as an actor, when you’re working with someone where it’s so much his vision?

ABRAHAM: It was a great run. I’d do it again in a minute. I hated to see it end.

IMPERIOLI: Yeah, definitely. Before we met in person, we met over Zoom and had a really great conversation about the character and about the characters that I’d be mostly working with. And then, when we got to Italy, we had a meeting, just the two of us, going through some more notes and ideas. Some of the stuff, he really welcomed. He changed the script, here and there, a little bit, based on a couple of things that I suggested. He’s not afraid to agree, and he’s not afraid to disagree and just say, “No, I think it’s right the way it is,” or “I don’t see it that way.” But if he does like it, he’ll change the script, which is great. That’s true collaboration. He’s not afraid to stick to his point of view, and he’s also not afraid to be open and collaborative. That’s a great quality in someone who’s ultimately the orator of the whole thing. He’s the author and the person executing it. So yeah, I’d also do it again in a heartbeat.

The White Lotus airs on Sunday nights on HBO.