Jack appears to be a sweet and playful guy when he first meets Portia in The White Lotus Season 2. But in the riveting finale, he shows his true colors and confirms he’s been a part of Quentin’s murderous plot all along. Throughout the HBO drama, creator Mike White has dropped subtle hints about each character. And it seems Jack’s pinky ring may have been a clue about his real identity from the very beginning.
‘The White Lotus’ Season 2 star Leo Woodall reveals what inspired Jack’s look
Leo Woodall portrays Jack in season 2 of The White Lotus. His character starts as a loud, obnoxious, and carefree British man who is simply there to help his uncle Quentin (Tom Hollander).
But by the end of the season, viewers learn that Jack isn’t at all what he seems. He is sleeping with Quentin. And he’s only romancing Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) to separate her from Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) so that Quentin can have Tanya murdered and get rich via her husband, Greg (Jon Gries).
Jack’s pinky ring may have been a clue to his real identity
Jack turned out to be one of the most complex characters in The White Lotus Season 2, going from happy and sweet to mean scary in a matter of moments. But his pinky ring may have been a clue to his real identity all along.
Pinky rings on men can signify criminal associations. The symbolism gained popularity with movies like The Godfather, in which Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro’s mafioso characters famously wear rings on their pinky fingers.
Jack’s pinky ring could be symbolic of him being a sex worker. And considering Quentin’s ties in Palermo, it could hint he has ties to the criminal underworld.
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Jack also didn’t look like he was part of Quentin’s rich family
Jack claimed he was Quentin’s nephew in the beginning. But his accent, attitude, clothes, and West Ham anthem-singing were a clear sign he had working-class roots. And they made it hard to believe he was a member of Quentin’s British billionaire family.
A lot went into curating Jack’s look. When talking to Men’s Health, Woodall noted that he found inspiration from White and TV personality, Joey Essex.
“I knew that Jack was a fun-loving, dangerous, naughty Essex boy,” Woodall said. “So before I shot my audition tape for it, I watched some Joey Essex videos, put some sunglasses on my head, made a fake cocktail in a fancy glass, and went to town with it.”
The actor revealed that he helped come up with the ideas for Jack’s tattoos as well, including the “Cowabunga” one on his neck, and the “Wendy” one on his back. “He just wouldn’t have thought much about the meaning behind these tattoos, — and he would have probably been hammered getting all of them,” Woodall explained, revealing more insight into Jack’s real personality.
“The only one that he probably would have put some thought into is the tattoo of hammers on his arm,” he added. “Because that’s [the logo for] his football team [West Ham United Football Club].”
