Meet BLACKPINK's Lisa: 5 Things You Need To Know About Mook From The White Lotus

Mike White, the creator of "The White Lotus," has unquestionably helped revitalize or launch the careers of many of the cast members of his hit anthology satire. Jennifer Coolidge had been a sexy, comedic character actor for decades but two seasons (and two Emmys) for her portrayal of socialite Tanya McQuoid showed the world how underutilized she'd been for years. Season 2's Simona Tabasco and Sabrina Impacciatore are now international stars outside of their home country of Italy, and Meghann Fahy has become one of the most in-demand entertainers after her Emmy-nominated performance from the same season.

Season 3 sets the hit anthology series in Thailand (check out my glowing review here), but one of the Thai actors cast on the show is already a massive international star, even if not all Americans are on the up and up. The character of Thidapon Sornsin aka Mook (which means "pearl" in Thai) is played by Lalisa Manoban, better known mononymously as Lisa, one of the members of the girl crush K-pop group, BLACKPINK. The American film and television industry has been embracing Korean culture in recent years, but after BLACKPINK member Jennie appeared on HBO's "The Idol" in 2023, Lisa's inclusion on "The White Lotus" makes her the biggest headliner yet. Fans of Lisa will be thrilled at how effortlessly she fits in with already-established acting powerhouses like Parker Posey, Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, and Natasha Rothwell, but those who aren't already familiar with her work are likely going to be trying to learn everything they can about her.

Trying to encompass her massive popularity and established success in a list is nearly impossible, but here are five things fans of "The White Lotus" should know about one of the new season's breakout stars.

Lisa was born and raised in Thailand, but in 2010 when she was 13, she auditioned for the South Korean record label YG Entertainment. Among the 4,000 applicants, she was the only one accepted for their distinguished training program, officially joining the trainee program in 2011 as the label's first non-ethnically Korean trainee. Although performing in one of the most popular K-pop groups on the planet, she constantly mentions being from Thailand and promotes her home country in a positive light. So much so that in 2023, Lisa received an honorary Wattanakunathorn Award (Cultural Ambassador Leader) from Thailand's Ministry of Culture.

Culture Minister Sermsak Pongpanich noted that thanks to Lisa's popularity and trendsetting, she had a direct soft power impact on boosting Thailand's economy. One example came in 2021 when she wore a traditional headdress from her home province, Buriram, in the music video for her solo debut, "Lalisa." Wearing the headdress caused a massive spike in sales of the headdress all over the world. Former Thai Prime Minister Prayut also commended her for the way she incorporates traditional Thailand clothing during public appearances and her commitment to express pride for the country. She is also a global brand ambassador for numerous companies including Moonshot and MAC cosmetics, clothing brands like Bulgari and Louis Vuitton, Chivas Regal whiskey, and Samsung.

Lisa's popularity is so widespread, that it's officially recognized by the Guinness World Records. She is the fastest K-pop artist to gain 1 million followers on TikTok, surpassing the old record held by BTS' Jungkook. He reached the milestone in 3 hours and 31 minutes, but Lisa hit that goal in 2 hours and 18 minutes. Her solo track "Money" off of her debut solo album "Lalisa" was the first single by a K-pop solo artist to cross 1 billion streams.

She's the first K-pop star to win an MTV Video Music Award, the most-followed K-pop star on Instagram (105 million), became the first solo K-pop artist to win an MTV Europe Music Award, and earned the record for most viewed music video in 24 hours (20 million views for "Rockstar") in 2024. Her song "Lalisa" is also the most-watched video on YouTube, and garnered 700 million views in 24 hours, creating the record as the fastest video by a female solo K-pop artist to achieve this. Her debut solo album was the first K-pop album to surpass 1 billion plays, which also made her the first female soloist to achieve that status. She's also the fastest to hit 1 billion plays as well, of any female artist. Including the records she shares with BLACKPINK (like the most-streamed female group on Spotify), there's no denying that she's a force to be reckoned with.

In addition to speaking her native Thai, Lisa also speaks fluent Korean and English, in addition to basic Japanese and Chinese. This gives her a massive advantage if she were to seriously pursue acting in Hollywood following the anticipated success of "The White Lotus." She effortlessly switches between Thai and English on the series depending on which actor she's communicating with, and her English-speaking is better in real life than what she portrays on the show for her character. She told Variety that she'd love to do an action movie, and with her choreography skills, she'd be a perfect fit.

At only 27 years old (at the time of publication), Lisa is already a proud member of the Asian Hall of Fame. She was inducted in 2023 as a "cultural icon," and was part of the class that included famed Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (behind the scores for films like Bernardo Bertolucci's"The Last Emperor," Brian De Palma's "Snake Eyes" and "Femme Fatale," Oliver Stone's "Wild Palms," and Alejandro González Iñárritu's "The Revenant") and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

On top of it all, Lisa also recently created her new record label, LLOUD. While she's currently the only artist represented under the label, from the sound of it, it seems like she'll eventually sign other musicians. When the label was first announced, the company released a statement that read, "our passion as an artist management company is to create experiences that transcend genres and connect generations. Our core lies in relentless innovation and a commitment to authenticity. We're not just pushing boundaries; we're redefining them, crafting chart-topping and genre-defying music." If you're curious about Lisa's music, she recently released the single "Born Again" featuring Doja Cat and RAYE. The music video can be seen above.

"The White Lotus" season 3 debuts on February 16, 2025 with new episodes on Sundays.