Simona Tabasco is a party girl; well, that’s when she’s not staying in listening to music (the love of her life) or reading books. Summer, however, is dedicated to friends, partying, and being outside. Is it trite to chalk this down to La Dolce Vita, the Italian ethos of eking out life’s every joy, I inquire? Not at all. Tabasco, who was born in Naples like her career-making character in season two of The White Lotus, says her favourite way to party is by water; the fact that Italy is a peninsula makes that deliciously easy; “this is perhaps also why we Italians are so full of joy and desire to party,” wonders Tabasco.
“Joy”, “desire”, and “party” are synonymous with Lucia, Tabasco’s passionate party girl grafter in Mike White’s viral show. Like Lucia, Tabasco is effervescent when we sit down to talk, which is no mean feat given that our interview is over Zoom with a translator and half a dozen other people. She’s just fronted a campaign for Martini, and to celebrate, they’ve named a cocktail after her: the aptly titled Simona Spritz. In typical fashion—Tabasco by name, Tabasco by nature—the boozy blend is sure to put some fire in your belly, which feels fitting for a woman who tells me she “loves a spicy night” and wants to party with Salvador Dali. Here, she gives us the lowdown on her life in parties.
