Sam Nivola Says ‘White Lotus’ Family Mimics Bravo’s ‘Southern Charm’ (Exclusive)

Sam Nivola is revealing the surprising muse for his character in The White Lotus.

The 21-year-old actor spoke to PEOPLE earlier this month about season 3 of the hit HBO series, opening up about how he prepared to play Lochlan Ratliff. Before heading to Thailand to film, Nivola says creator Mike White told him to watch one of Bravo’s popular reality shows as inspiration for the role.

“Mike told us to go watch Southern Charm,” Nivola shares of the series, which takes place in South Carolina and follows the lives of cast members such as Shep Rose and Austen Kroll, among many others. “In fact, Jason Isaacs, who played our dad, kind of modeled his whole accent and character off of [that cast].”

He went on to joke that his on-screen sister Sarah Catherine Hook got to skip out on the pre-production homework because she “had it down” already.

“I’m from Alabama,” she explains. “I found out through you guys. I was like, ‘He didn’t tell me to watch Southern Charm! I’m feeling left out.’”

The Ratliff family is comprised of Nivola, Hook and Patrick Schwarzenegger and their wealthy Southern parents, played by Isaacs and Parker Posey. The first episode shows the five clashing the moment they arrive at the wellness resort, displaying a quirky family dynamic that only grows more complex when the patriarch of the family finds out that he might have lost all his money and tries to keep it a secret.

There also appears to be tension between the siblings, with Hook growing increasingly frustrated by brother Saxon (Schwarzenegger) and the way he treats Lochlan.

The cast spent several months shooting in Thailand, and during that time, Nivola tells PEOPLE they all had plenty of time to bond — especially him, Hook and Schwarzenegger.

“He’s our boy,” the Perfect Couple alum says of Schwarzenegger, as Hook chimes in: “We’re like the Three Amigos!”

“The three of us got very, very, very close and I’m so thankful for them,” she continues. “We had the best time together.”

They also developed a special friendship with Isaacs, who Nivola jokingly points out was “unexpected just because he’s our parents’ age.”

“He’s such a fun guy,” he gushes, noting that Lalisa Manoban and Tayme Thapthimthong were another duo they “got really close with.”

“Maybe this is a silly reason, but they’re Thai and so I wasn’t expecting to have so much in common with them because it’s such a different culture and it’s from across the world,” Nivola explains. “But they’re just the most amazing, lovely people.”

When they weren’t on set, the duo says the cast went on “a lot of boat trips” and “picked up random little fun hobbies” to keep busy.

“Sam got really into Muay Thai,” the Cruel Intentions star reveals, and Nivola adds: “And Health Lab.”

“We went to this really great place called The Health Lab that had a cafe and a couple different saunas and ice baths and steam rooms,” Hook recalls. “And it was just a good little spot to go escape, but it was very earthy and cool. Yeah, it was a good hangout spot for us and a place to get out of the resort area.”

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The White Lotus airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max.