Sarah Catherine Hook on The White Lotus, acting rituals and Patrick Schwarzenegger's insatiable hunger

Sarah Catherine Hook is no stranger to the small screen. The 29 year old actress may have caught your attention as soul-searching Piper Ratliff in the heady third season of The White Lotus, but before jetting off to Thailand for the Emmy Award-winning drama, she starred in Netflix's First Kill as Juliette Fairmont and led the Cruel Intentions reboot as Caroline Merteuil.

Although her star is rising faster than your heart rate during an episode of Mike White's latest fever dream, when I talk to Sarah Catherine it's like having a girly catch-up with one of my friends. Her trajectory is poised towards a flourishing career in Hollywood, but she's disarmingly down-to-earth and fizzing with excitement. And she's not just warm, she's a beaming ray of sunshine; her energy is infectious and palpable, even though the screen of a video call.

We spend thirty minutes nattering about everything from her surreal audition for The White Lotus to her A-list style icons. She tells me about being flown out to New Zealand for her ever first pilot, personal rituals for getting into character, and the paramount importance of her female friendships.

How did it feel when you found out you’d officially been cast in The White Lotus?

Even when I just got the audition, I was like, “Oh my god, this is so cool,” because I had never auditioned for it before. So just getting the audition alone was huge. And then each time I heard good news, good news, good news… it just was the coolest thing ever.

What were you doing when you got the call?

I was with my family, which was great but also a little dangerous because they were like, “You can't tell anyone.” And then, of course, immediately I blurted it out for my whole family. I was like, “But you can’t tell anyone!” Honestly, what a gift. It's so great to be able to celebrate those moments with your family. I know Patrick [Schwarzenegger] has a really cute video of him telling his family, everyone's crying, and it's just so touching.

Are you really close to your family?

I am, yeah. Since I was little they’ve been so supportive of my dreams, and I know a lot of people don't have that luxury so I definitely acknowledge how privileged I am. I’m so thankful, because I don't think I would be here without their support, honestly.

Were they excited when you told them?

Oh, yeah. My mom - like, we were just doing a little dance. That was so cute. It's just so insane. I don't even think there are any words that could match the craziness of it. It was just amazing.

What was the audition process like for The White Lotus?

I did an initial tape for it and the casting director really liked it. She called me, gave me some notes and gave me some more context so I re-taped and sent it off. There was a lot of buzz coming from my reps, then eventually I got the confirmation that I was going to have my final callback with Mike White and the producers.

How was that?!

They gave me a new scene to do, and I went into it thinking, “Oh my God, this is the biggest audition of my life. I'm gonna ask so many questions.” It was great because Mike gets on the call and he's like, “What's up? Who are you? How do I say your name, do you go by Sarah Catherine? Where are you?” And being so casual and cute as if we were out on a lunch date or something. Then he's like, “Okay, well I guess we'll just do the scene and see how it goes. And yeah, we love you.” It was really cute. I did the scene, and he was like, “All right. That was great. Thanks so much for coming.” And I was like, “That's it?!”

I did the scene once. I got off the call like, “What the hell just happened?” I was so tickled to see him. And I was like, “Oh my God, I want to be that guy's best friend.” He was just adorable. And then the next day I got the call.

What was it like to film the show in Thailand?

The heat was pretty gnarly - I don't think any of us had ever experienced heat like that. I fell in love with Asia completely. I was so fortunate I got to do some travelling, too. I think my favourite part about Thailand is the people, to be honest, the community. They're the warmest, most generous, loveliest humans. I never imagined I'd ever go to Thailand and film an incredible TV show there, that was so surreal. I'm truly the luckiest girl in the world.

Tell us your favourite behind-the-scenes story from The White Lotus…

So Patrick [Schwarzenegger] and I became really good friends. He started having this reputation of being the hungriest person ever - he was so hungry all the time, and we always made fun of him for it. When we got to Phuket, the heat was unbelievable. I swear I had heat exhaustion or something - I was unwell! I kept saying, “I just feel so weird. My brain feels like peanut butter.” And Patrick was like, “Yeah? What kind of peanut butter? Crunchy or smooth?” I was like, “Dude, back off of my peanut butter brain! You're not getting a taste of this. I know you want it for your protein smoothies, but get your own peanut butter.” So then we would always reference the peanut butter. He’d be like, “Damn, I really could use some of that peanut butter brain.” He's so goofy and so adorable. I love him to bits.

You also starred in the TV adaptation of Cruel Intentions. How do you tap into the mindset of the person you’re playing?

There was a ritual I would do almost before every take. It kind of naturally happened - I just needed to be centred and as still as possible for Caroline, because I'm a very animated person in real life! In order for me to stop moving so much I had to literally stand still and from the bottom, just zip myself up and zip it back. As if I was zipping on her cloak, or her essence. That was my little ritual. For more emotional stuff, I have a voicemail from my grandmother that I'll listen to beforehand, and that always makes me weepy. That one is always gonna do the job for me, and then I also get to hear her voice, which is sweet.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from being on set?

Being friends with your cast mates. I just did a film, and that was something I learned from one of my co-stars; how part of the job is laughing and having fun, and we need to be able to feel comfortable with our co-stars so on the day we can emote and be as present with them as we are off camera.

What was your first big pinch-me career moment?

Truthfully, I'm gonna take it all the way back to the beginning when I booked my very first pilot. That was so huge for me. You have this dream, and you go out and hustle for it. At that point, I had been living in New York, so broke, going from job to job, trying to make ends meet and going to all these auditions, which was such a thrill. I loved auditioning in New York, I loved having appointments to go to and the idea of seeing agents. I felt like, “Wow, I'm really going for it.” Honestly, every time I book a job it's a pinch-me moment. But there's nothing like your first time.

Can you remember what the pilot was for?

It was called Triangle, and I've never seen it but I filmed it in New Zealand. It was a hard job too - it was tough. It was trying to be like the new Lost. So it was very physically demanding and my character was in life-threatening positions in almost every scene - so it was like actor boot camp! It was a good way to be thrown into it, and I learned so much on that job.

Who inspires your work?

It always varies, I can be inspired by my cast mates, my directors, or the shows or movies I'm watching. Actors that I've loved forever, like Emma Stone. Or Emily Stone, I should say - I’m standing by her decision to go back to Emily! I'm very passionate about names, because people get my name wrong a lot. So Emily Stone, love you.

And who inspires you in your day-to-day life?

I've been really cherishing my girl friend relationships. I've been gone a lot for jobs, and how wonderful is that! But I've been missing my girls, and I realised my most meaningful conversations have been with my close girlfriends. I love them all so much. They definitely influence me and inspire me the most.

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Don't worry so much about what other people think! And I would still tell myself that today. That's always an important thing to take note of. I think it used to paralyse me, and it's just not that deep. It's not that serious, honestly. So, yeah, just care less about the little things. I know who I am now!

Who is your biggest style icon right now?

Jennifer Lawrence. She has been looking so stunning. Her hair is like - honey! She's this timeless, beautiful, elegant, sophisticated Queen - I've been so here for her fashion choices. Every time I see her, I'm like, “That is just a sparkling jewel.” She looks incredible, but is also so unapologetically herself. Not that I know her at all! But I love her.

Have you ever met her?

No! Honestly, I'm just happy to see her on my Instagram. I feel like I'd probably be such a babbling - I mean, I'm a babbling fool right now just talking about her, so who knows how I'd be in front of her?! I’ve watched her for years, and I just think she's the real deal.

Has anyone in Hollywood ever left you starstruck?

I'm sure there has been, but I think being an actor now has kind of demystified a lot of things. They're just people. I love all of my favourite actors and actresses, and I have so much respect for all of them. Maybe that's also just a way of me trying to control my little girlish feelings… like, “Oh yeah, you're just a person. Okay, you're just a person! I don't need to freak out.”