‘Southern Charm’ Star Changes Tune on ‘The White Lotus’ Comparisons Amid Season 3 Finale

Patricia Altschul is no longer sure that comparisons of her accent to the Victoria Ratliff character on “The White Lotus” are a compliment.

In an April 2025 interview with The New York Times, the “Southern Charm” grand dame spoke out about Parker Posey’s character on the Netflix hit, which just ended its third season with an explosive finale.

“I was flattered at first,” Altschul told the outlet of the comparisons to her Southern accent. “But now, you know, she’s on pills and he’s a sketchy businessman with a gun. So, I’m not quite sure to what extent we should be flattered.”

“I’m hoping that she ends up being kind of savvy,” Altschul added of Posey’s character. “Sometimes there’s the equation that if you sound Southern, you sound stupid. I would like to think that that’s not the case.”

Posey’s “The White Lotus” character was known for her exaggerated pronunciation of words such as “tsunami” and “Piper.” The accents for the Ratliffs were reportedly inspired by Altschul and other “Southern Charm” cast members.

“[Showrunner] Mike White told us to go watch ‘Southern Charm,’”  ‘The White Lotus” star Sam Nivola (Lochlan Ratliff on the show) told People magazine in an interview.

Patricia Altschul Previously Talked About ‘The White Lotus’ Accents

 Altschul initially talked about “The White Lotus” characters and their accents in an interview with Glamour magazine. “Well, I kept getting messages and DMs,” the 83-year-old socialite said of the comparison. “So it was all over TikTok and there were pictures of Thomas [Ravenel] and I being the main culprits for prototypes. So, I thought it was fun, and I think the actors are incredible.”

Altschul told the outlet that her accent is more “watered down” due to her background. She added that Posey’s interpretation is “a Southern drawl because she draws out her sentences.”

“I think her attitude is kind of that of a snobby, Southern upper-class woman,” she said.

Altschul admitted that the Victoria Ratliff character says some things that she would say. “I think there are occasions when—and you have to remember that I’m typical of my age group—I have some definite opinions about things, especially socially,” she said. “Like when she said, ‘All actresses are prostitutes.’ Yeah, that sounds like something I’d say. So I can relate to her.”

 Parker Posey Said She Wanted to Make Victoria Ratliff a ‘Character’

Posey has been asked about the accent in multiple interviews. During an appearance on “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” she noted that there are many types of Southern accents, but that she wanted to create one that stood out.

“There’s so many different kinds [of Southern accents], right?” Posey said. “I wanted Victoria to have, you know, I have all these funny lines. As an actor, you approach the text and you think of these, you know, all the lines sound funny. I think Mike is such a brilliant writer. He’s such a funny writer. So, I had all these jokes. It was like, okay, how can I, you know, really play it up and really make a character?”