Who is Lalisa Manobal? Meet the actor who plays Mook in The White Lotus season 3
Lalisa Manobal, known as BLACKPINK’s Lisa, makes her acting debut as Mook in The White Lotus season 3, which premiered on HBO on February 16, 2025. Set at a luxury resort in Thailand, the series follows the lives of its staff and wealthy guests. Lisa plays Thidapon "Mook" Sornsin, a wellness mentor at the resort.
Lalisa’s acting debut in The White Lotus season 3 has been highly anticipated and well-received. Critics praise her natural screen presence, while fans appreciate her role for adding cultural depth to the series. Her performance marks a strong start to her acting career.
Early life of Lalisa Manobal
Lalisa is a Thai rapper, singer, dancer, and actress. At the age of 14, she started her career as a music artist. After auditioning for South Korea’s biggest music label YG Entertainment, Lalisa entered into a contract with the company. She gained an interest in the K-pop industry, and then she moved from Thailand to South Korea, where she began her formal training as a trainee.
In August 2016, Lisa debuted as the lead of the four-member South Korean girl band BLACKPINK, the first non-ethnically Korean artist under the label. The group's debut single album Square One featured the lead’s single Whistle, which topped all South Korean charts upon debut, and Boombayah.
From September 2018 and onwards, Lalisa became a permanent cast member on the Korea Army Academy edition of the MBC military variety program Real Man 300.
Gaining popularity as the lead of BLACKPINK
Lalisa Manobal has been a key member of BLACKPINK since their 2016 debut under YG Entertainment, serving as the main dancer and lead rapper. As a Thai artist in K-pop, she helped expand the group’s global appeal. In 2021, she launched a successful solo career with her debut album Lalisa, which sold 736,000 copies in its first week in South Korea.
Mook: All about Lalisa Manobal's character in White Lotus season 3
Lalisa Manobal makes her acting debut in the HBO series The White Lotus season 3. Set in a luxurious resort in Thailand, Lalisa portrays Thidapon ‘Mook’ Sornsin, a flirtatious wellness instructor who is seen in the trailer welcoming guests at the location. She gets involved with Gaitok, a front gate attendant at the White Lotus, who appears to be romantically interested in her.
The pop star claimed in an interview with Variety that she was moved to tears when she heard the news of being cast in The White Lotus season 3. She took acting lessons before the shoot started and shared how much she related to her on-screen persona.
“Mook has something in common with me. I just had this idea: How should I create Mook? But I didn’t really have to do much. She’s just me, but flirtier and lady-like, because in real life, I’m more like a tomboy," she said.
New episodes of The White Lotus season 3 premiere every Sunday on HBO and are available for streaming digitally on Max.
