“White Lotus” fans everywhere just about lost their minds when on-screen hotel managers Murray Bartlett and Sabrina Impacciatore met in real life earlier this year — including Impacciatore herself. But, according to the actress, her first interaction with Bartlett came when he slid into her DMs to praise her work on Season 2.
In Mike White’s anthology series, Bartlett played The White Lotus hotel manager in Season 1 and quickly lodged himself into the hearts of fans. For the Sicily-set Season 2, Impacciatore stepped into the role. During her appearance on WrapWomen‘s “UnWrapped,” Impacciatore admitted that she was exceedingly nervous to fill Bartlett’s shoes and didn’t sleep for five weeks during filming because of it.
“I was always thinking about [Bartlett]. How could I not make people regret [hiring me]?” she said. “It was Mission: Impossible. So he really was present in my life so much before meeting him.”
As it turns out, Impaccatore had no reason to be worried. The actress then revealed that Bartlett actually slid into her DMs while the show was airing, before the pair officially met at a pre-Oscars party.
“What happened is that this man with a huge heart wrote me on Instagram,” she recounted. “He wrote me and his message was starting like, ‘Sorry for something,’ like, ‘Sorry for interrupt you … but I really would like to tell you how much I loved you, and how much I loved your work.’ So can you imagine when I read this message, literally, I exploded crying because it was very, very moving. It was incredible.”
Impaciattore, said the two chatted back and forth, but it wasn’t until the event hosted by Motion Picture and Television Fund that they finally met in person. She didn’t know he was even going to be there, but when she saw him from across the room, she ran and gave him a big hug.
“[Bartlett] is not only a great artist, he has a great heart. He has a real heart, and when I meet an artist that I love, that is so human, I feel a really happy echo,” she said.
You can watch Impacciatore’s full appearance on “UnWrapped” here, or listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.