Adam DiMarco knows how to play the good guy. You know this, if you’ve been watching The White Lotus for the past two months (and who hasn’t?). You’ve seen him do it: he knows how to smile, just softly and charmingly enough to make him likable; he knows how to awkwardly avert his eyes, just crushingly shy enough to come across as sweet, a matching set to his bashfully slumped shoulders. And he knows that all of these things make his character, Albie Di Grasso, a walking red flag.

“I was drawn to his sweeter, empathetic side,” says DiMarco of Albie. But he knows—and acknowledges—that the Internet’s perception of Albie as a man on the verge of snapping has its validity. “I think people are right to be wary, just in the sense that usually with a ‘good guy’ culture online or with self-proclaimed nice guys, it’s often a front that is hiding this darker side.”

If you’ve finished The White Lotus, then you know that this “darker side” manifests itself as a sort of generational toxic masculinity. Albie Di Grasso may be hiding a darker side; Adam DiMarco, who asks me how I am during our interview even as he’s the one fighting off a winter cold, who is curious to hear what my New Year’s resolution is going to be, decidedly is not.

There’s little wonder as to why the actor has become the fan-favorite from the series, becoming the subject of thousands of TikTok edits and thirst tweets (a “pleasant surprise,” to DiMarco). There’s little wonder as to where he’ll go from here, post-checkout from the Sicilian resort; when you’re as charming and dynamic an actor as DiMarco, with the ability to step into a character like a pair of slides, the world is your oyster.

Perhaps DiMarco’s reflection on his character’s dynamic with two potential love interests—Portia and Lucia, a disillusioned assistant and entrepreneurial escort, respectively—can apply to a broader spectrum of possibilities, outside the world of The White Lotus: “Shouldn’t falling in love feel easy?,” he asks. If you’ve seen DiMarco this season—you know just how easy it feels.

VMAN: What have you been up to lately? How’s life post-White Lotus premiere?

ADAM DIMARCO: It’s been a lot in terms of work. I’ve been doing interviews, photoshoots, auditions, reading scripts. But I’ve also been traveling and seeing friends, seeing castmates from the show as much as I can. I went to New York a couple of times, saw the Rangers play. I saw A Strange Loop when I was over there, went out to dinners. It’s been pretty lowkey.

VM: Since this season of The White Lotus premiered, it’s been all anyone can talk about every week, understandably—it’s the best part of every weekend. How has your experience been seeing everybody’s reception to the show each week?

AD: It’s been a bit of a whirlwind. I’ve seen some, some of the stuff online, but I don’t check it obsessively. But sometimes my friends will send me things,TikToks or memes or Tweets or articles or whatever. It’s hard to avoid, but it’ll all come to an end after [the finale].

VM: Let’s talk about those memes and TikToks for a second, because I’m sure you’ve seen the entire Internet thirsting over Albie.

AD: That was definitely a surprise. I didn’t think Albie would be the thirsted-over character.

VM: Really?

AD: Yeah, I mean, it’s been a pleasant surprise, I guess. It is very flattering.

VM: Let’s also get into the nitty-gritty of Albie, though, because he’s everyone’s favorite maybe not-so-good guy. What compelled you to him when you first read the script for this season, and what was your initial impression of Albie?

AD: My initial impression of him was just that he’s this young man who’s trying to break the generational cycle of misogyny that he’s seen in his father and grandfather. He’s making the conscious effort to be a peacemaker in his family and a quote-unquote “good guy.” But there are some unconscious faults and biases that everyone is raised with that he’s also battling. It was fun to kind of play that. I was drawn to his sweeter, empathetic side. I think there are so many unlikable characters that you love to hate The White Lotus, so it was kind of refreshing to play someone that was, at least at a glance, a bit sweeter.

VM: What do you think of that “good guy” trope? Does Albie play into it?

AD: For me, I think he does fit into that trope. But I think you’re talking about people online not trusting him.

VM: Yeah, there’s a bit of a “he seems too good to be true” kind of vibe.

AD: I think people are right to be wary, just in the sense that usually with a “good guy” culture online or with self-proclaimed nice guys, it’s often a front that is hiding this darker side. I was talking to a friend about it, how it’s like, you can’t really call yourself a nice guy or a good guy. It’s a red flag.

VM: Exactly.

AD: Like, other people need to describe you that way. So I think that’s kind of what the audience latched onto about him. Also, the context and the nature of the show and this world that Mike [White] has created is that any of these characters could be a killer or a murderer and it would be plausible and feasible. But then, any of them could also be the murder victim. So I guess after [the finale] people will have more context for all of the characters. They’ll get the full picture of the painting that Mike did.

VM: I’m glad to hear you say that, because I’ve been on the edge of my seat all season.

AD: Once you see the finished painting, everyone will understand everything. I think the series will really lend itself well to a rewatch, and people will see everything through a clearer lens. I do think it’s worth a rewatch once you know how everything ends, because there is a lot of foreshadowing and clues and stuff that people might have missed, which is really cool.

VM: Between Albie and Portia and Albie and Lucia, there’s a different dynamic going on, where Albie sees himself as Lucia’s protector in a way, but with Portia, he’s hopelessly crushing. How would you describe portraying those different dynamics in scenes with your respective co-stars?

AD: I feel like Albie is kind of just an audience to Portia. He’s there to listen and, yeah, he is chasing her, not realizing that he just probably needs to take a step back. He might be pushing too hard to the point where he is forcing something. And then in the scenes with Lucia, it does feel like he’s the one being pursued, which I think must feel really nice. It must feel a lot easier. And shouldn’t falling in love feel easy?

VM: How would you describe Albie’s relationship with women in general?

AD: I think Albie is cool with everyone in his family. I think even his mother and his sister probably appreciate that he is there to keep an eye on his dad try to hopefully guide Dominic into seeing that there is a better way and a better path forward, and that he can change and fix things. If he wasn’t there, I don’t know how this trip would’ve gone. Like, I’m sure Dominic’s sex addiction would have gotten even worse. I don’t think he would’ve stopped seeing Lucia. Albie probably really took one for the team there, starting to see Lucia.

VM: His presence there is kind of holding everyone else accountable.

AD: Yeah, yeah. He’s a true hero. [laughs] But the whole reason they went there was to track down their relatives, and we saw how that went down in Episode 6. It seems like the Di Grasso men have been hated by the Di Grasso women for a lot longer than we think. It’s a generational thing.

And Albie’s still young. He’s trying his best, but who knows? By the time he reaches his father’s age…he already said that he didn’t want to be like his father, but his actions are strangely simile at times. We’re all like our parents more than we want to realize.

VM: Switching gears a little bit: this season’s cast of characters is very compelling. For the VMAN readers, I want to do a quick round of fuck, marry, kill for the characters at The White Lotus in Sicily this season. Who are you picking for each of those categories?

AD: Oh my God. What, out of the whole cast?

VM: Yeah. Well, the characters—I’m not about to ask you to kill a costar.

AD: Okay, let me think of the characters. It’s so hard to separate the characters from the actors. Even when I watch the show, I’ll be watching a scene and sometimes I’ll be like, Oh, that’s just Theo [James]! So…I think it’s too close to home. I don’t know if I could pick.

VM: Okay, fair enough. Which of your costars would you bring to a dream vacation at an Italian resort with you?

AD: I mean, I genuinely loved everyone in the cast. I would bring ’em all and just kind of do it all over again. I had such a great time filming and getting to know everyone. It really was such a special group of people and a very special experience. I would invite everyone and whoever wanted to come, that would be great. I can’t think of anyone that I would exclude, to be honest.

VM: Super sweet. You guys could just relive filming without actually having to film.

AD: Yeah.

VM: Nice. So, there are some viewers who have been watching you in various TV shows and movies for a long time. I think the first thing I ever saw you in was maybe Radio Rebel, like, 10 years ago.

AD: You saw that?

VM: Of course, I saw that. It was in my last years of watching Disney Channel, for sure. But 10 years later, here I am, watching The White Lotus, which is obviously a very different vibe, very different target demographic, and a completely different character. You’re doing completely different things as an actor, so what do you think of the way your audience is kind of growing up alongside you as you step into these more mature roles?

AD: I hadn’t really thought about it, but that is pretty cool. I hope I can keep the ball rolling and do even cooler things. I still get recognized for Radio Rebel. I was at the airport in Rome and I had my mask on, and maybe I was even wearing a hat or something, and someone recognized me from Radio Rebel. I think I forgot about how big of a reach that movie had, and then had a rebirth on TikTok a couple years ago. It became a meme.

But I’m still friends with a lot of people from that movie. Atticus [Mitchell] and Rowen [Kahn] are two of my really close friends. And then I was just talking to Debby [Ryan] yesterday actually, and I would love to work with her again, too. So that would be cool, maybe to do another romantic comedy or something. That would be fun.

VM: What’s next on the horizon for you?

AD: I’m reading scripts right now and auditioning. I’m meeting with directors, and I’m just trying to find the right thing to do next. I’m being patient, which is kind of a cool place to be. I mean, I am excited for next year though. I have a good feeling about it.

VM: Maybe it’s too early for this, but what’s going to be your New Year’s resolution?

AD: Mm. Do you know what yours is?

VM: I think I’m taking inspo from people right now. I’m gathering a few ideas.

AD: What have people been saying?

VM: Lots of the usual. Lots of, you know, be more mindful, take more time, which is all great.

AD: I don’t always like make New Year’s resolutions. I think consistency. I think that would be a resolution for me. Just finding consistency.

VM: That’s a great one.

AD: That can kind of apply to lots of things. People are like, if their resolution is the gym or to diet, consistency kind of covers both of those things.

VM: I’m sure that as an actor, having a schedule where you’re traveling, doing shoots, interviews, all of that, finding your routine is very important.

AD: I’ve definitely been lacking consistency lately. So, yeah. Finding a way to rediscover that.

VM: That’s amazing. Then I’m wishing consistency to you for 2023.

AD: Thank you.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.