Duke University ‘did not approve’ references to the school in ‘The White Lotus’
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — This season’s “The White Lotus” may be popular with viewers of its wild storylines, but some Blue Devils aren’t enjoying it.
Currently in its third season, Jason Isaacs stars as wealthy businessman Timothy Ratliff who is on vacation in Thailand with his North Carolinian family. The character runs into some trouble and has a pivotal scene in which he appears to be considering murder-suicide. Ratliff, a Duke alumnus and proud Blue Devil in the drama, is wearing a t-shirt from the prestigious university in the scene, a dream sequence.
“Duke University did not approve the use of its marks in The White Lotus,” Frank Tramble, the vice president for communications, marketing and public affairs at Duke, told CNN in an emailed statement. “Duke appreciates artistic expression and creative storytelling, but characters prominently wearing apparel bearing Duke’s federally registered trademarks creates confusion and mistakenly suggests an endorsement or affiliation where none exists.”
Tramble added that the show “not only uses our brand without permission, but in our view uses it on imagery that is troubling, does not reflect our values or who we are, and simply goes too far.”
“Suicide is the second-leading cause of death on college campuses,” he said. “As imagery from the show is being shared widely across social media, we are using our brand to promote mental health awareness and remind people that help is available.”
The Ratcliff character has some issues, like being the target of a federal investigation for his business dealings back home and stealing his wife’s anti-anxiety medication to cope. Parker Posey has been winning raves playing his self-medicating wife, Victoria Ratliff, who seems to be oblivious to what her husband is going through.
Patrick Schwarzenegger, the real life son of Arnold, plays the Ratcliff’s eldest son Saxon, also a Duke alumnus in the story. His character is an archetypal “finance bro” who has a much buzzed about sexual experience with his brother and one of the women at the Thailand resort.
The Mike White created series is known for its outlandish storylines that often satirize different elements of society.
HBO, which like CNN is part of Warner Bros. Discovery, declined to comment.
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