The White Lotus Season 4 promises to be the most meta series of television in some time for industry watchers, and its Cannes setting will be backdrop for a story about “the life of an artist,” according to its exec producer.

Shooting in the south of France is well underway, with the season starring the likes of Vincent Cassel, Steve Coogan, Chris Messina and Nadia Tereszkiewicz, and it will be these high-profile actors who are providing writer, creator and showrunner Mike White with his inspiration.

“Early on, Mike talked about wanting to do Season 4 as the life of an artist – the loneliness and the pain,” said Bernad, who works closely with White to shape the HBO comedy-drama.

“That’s a throughline that runs throughout the season. As we located the show at the Cannes Film festival, this idea of fame popped up and who has the world’s attention? Who can grab it and who is the plus one in a relationship? What are the things that satisfy us? Is it the love of an intimate partner, the love of strangers, what do we prioritize in people?”

Bernad, who was speaking at Canneseries over the weekend, said Season 4 would be “the most personal and the funniest” to date.

“It really examines the things we value as people and what is attractive to us, and how fame can be corrosive and dictate your choices in life,” he added. “Some of the characters are existentially reflecting on those choices, some are reflecting on the choices and sacrifices they made as artists, and some are just starting to enter into this world of fame. Mike does a brilliant job of capturing how relationships can be corroded.”

The White Lotus‘ creators have wanted to set the show on the French Riviera since Season 2, when they came close before ultimately going for Italy. Bernad recalled taking his first film to the Cannes Film Festival, experiencing “tuxedos and the glamor and grandeur, and the passion for filmmaking” for the first time.

“The energy around it was so intoxicating and this season will have elements of that, he said. “It’s really about the people’s stories, them navigating Cannes, and the ups and downs of the festival. It’s the beating heart of everything in this season.”

Bernad revealed the inspiration for the season had come when he and White had “a really specific experience with a waiter and the maître d” at a restaurant in Cannes, which convinced them to cancel location scouting elsewhere and go for the Côte d’Azur. While he didn’t go into specifics, he said: “. It was a very funny moment and that totally unlocked what the show is. We literally cancelled everywhere else we were planning to go.”

He then described the process of finding filming locations – easier said than done during the height of the tourism season in the European spring and summer. Ultimately, the iconic Martinez and the Airelles Château de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez were selected, with the former named the White Lotus Cannes and the latter the White Lotus du Cap. Bernad called the Martinez “a beautiful place that perfectly captured what we were going for” and noted that White will use selected locations to influence his scripts.

Shooting began earlier this month, and is continuing at the hotel locations with some additional interior filming taking place in Paris to combat the busy summer in the south of France. One actress who won’t be there this week is Helena Bonham Carter, who Deadline revealed last week had departed her role after it “had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set.”

The role is being revamped and recast. Bernad appeared to be ready to comment on the situation when asked about “creative challenges” in production, chuckling at the question, but appeared to be guided away from answering by the moderator.