How Michael Imperioli nearly tanked his ‘White Lotus’ Season 2 audition
‘White Lotus’ Season 2 auditioners Michael Imperioli (left) and David James Krakow (right) during the auditions at the MOCA Santa Monica Contemporary Art Museum.
Michael Imperioli, the comedian and actor, is currently finishing his HBO stand-up special “White Lotus” that recently premiered. In case you thought he’s got that comedy all sewn up – he’s not the only comic he isn’t.
This Sunday (Sept. 14), he’ll join another comedian who is still trying to crack America’s comedy hearts. The final episode of his HBO stand-up special is airing just days before millions of Americans tune in for the third season of David Letterman’s “Late Show with David Letterman.” Just like that, Imperioli’s second and final season of “White Lotus” is in the past, and the first half of his third season will be his time to shine.
“I made a deal with HBO to do the first six episodes of the third season this fall,” Imperioli told me when we met at the opening of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (MOCA) on Aug. 26. “I was on the show for six weeks, and then finished it.”
What followed was a six-week stretch of interviews, stand-up, and guest appearances on different talk shows. Then HBO called.
“They offered me a spot on ‘Late Show,’” Imperioli said, taking a sip of his coffee. “I had a lot of offers, but ‘Late Show’ was the one that seemed like a perfect fit.”
Imperioli explained that he auditioned for the show, but after learning it was a one-time-only offer, he decided to go for it and tell the producers he’d already committed to another project he’d been developing.
