HBO‘s The White Lotus characters are often rich, boorish, and perversely captivating. Cameron exemplifies show creator Mike White’s favorite archetypes more than most. The arrogant Silicon Valley entrepreneur has skeletons in his closet. But from his first scene in the show, he carries a presence that is at once magnetic and nauseating.
That viewer reaction is very much intended by Theo James when he’s in the role. In a recent interview, the actor discussed his approach to portraying Cameron as the imposing brute he is.
James was convinced he lost out on the role of Cameron in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2
James’ excellence as Cameron makes it hard to imagine anyone else in the role. But he told Vanity Fair he was surprised to hear he was hired for the role. The first season of The White Lotus was a huge hit. So when the script got to James, he went into the casting process pessimistic about his chances.
“The older you get and the more work you do, you realize that no one is owed anything,” James said. “But trying to find opportunities that will evolve you as an actor — of course, that was constantly on my mind, and it still will remain on my mind forever.”
James put himself forward for the part. But the 37-year-old didn’t expect to win out, given the number of actors who wanted to be part of a show James called “the toast of the town.” Once White cast him as Cameron, he put thought and intention into how the character would take up space in each scene.
Theo James made certain choices to make Cameron seem as intimidating as possible
Cameron refuses to ever recede into the background. He is pathologically driven to dominate every aspect of his life. He showers his wife, Daphne (Meghann Fahy), with all sorts of love and affection when they’re together. But when they’re separated, he is solely motivated by the endless search for his pleasure.
Cameron’s primal need to fulfill his compulsions is often known via his sexuality. He and Daphne are still attracted to each other. Still, their relationship doesn’t stop him from sleeping with Lucia (Simona Tabasco) or making moves on Harper (Aubrey Plaza).
Cameron always tries to exude extreme confidence, but you can tell that much of his bluster is a veil for deep-seated insecurity. His rivalry with Ethan (Will Sharpe) is based on years of mutual resentment over who has more money, intelligence, or success with women.
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For all of his horndog tendencies, he is genuinely worried about Daphne hearing too many details about his actions (although she may have her own ways of dealing with his mistakes.)
James emphasized these aspects of Cameron’s personality in different ways. The actor pitched the character as “physically dominating” every conversation by taking up a lot of space, grabbing friends by the shoulders forcefully. He also always ate or drank something to visualize the endless appetite that defines his worldview.
“Playing Cameron reminded me of stuff from when I was very young, how I began in theater,” the actor said. “It was very freeing.”
James has acted in notable projects before, but this is his breakout performance
The main takeaway from the Vanity Fair piece is that James felt boxed in by the traditional roles Hollywood previously offered him.
Most of his previous attempts at success in high-profile projects didn’t work out. James played Tobias “Four” Eaton in the Divergent franchise, but the series of films was canned after multiple box-office flops. He also appeared in Underworld: Blood Wars and the 2021 HBO adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife, neither of which were well-received.
James’ physique led to many thirsty social media posts. But as The White Lotus story developed, his performance as Cameron became more of the focus. VF declares it “his most dynamic screen performance ever” and sums up his appeal in one sentence:
“He’s charming and repulsive and sexy, unsettling and brilliant and horrifically stupid, all in one highly familiar package — that of the millennial tech bro, riding high on ego but with a persistent insecurity that leans toward menace.”
A lot of acting success comes down to finding the right role at the right time. All the stars aligned for James in this instance and he made the most of his opportunity.
