SPOILERS are ahead for Episode 1 and 2 of The White Lotus Season 3, now streaming with a Max subscription. Don’t read ahead until you’ve mentally checked into the Thai resort.
After the fate of Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid became one of the most shocking deaths of 2022 TV, the common thread this season is Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda Lindsey, who was introduced as the kind-hearted spa manager in the Maui resort. This time around she is enjoying her own vacation at the Thailand branch when she crosses paths with Tanya’s own husband, Greg – who very well likely had her killed by some murderous gays living in Italy. When CinemaBlend spoke to Natasha Rothwell, she told us about coming back to the series following its viral popularity, and why we should very much be concerned for Belinda.
During my interview with Natasha Rothwell at the Los Angeles press day earlier this month, she reflected on coming aboard The White Lotus before it was an award-winning phenomenon. As Rothwell shared:
[Season 1] I was terrified, but not for probably the reasons you think. It was 2020 middle of Covid pre-vaccination. I was still wiping down groceries, and I got the call and now I'm supposed to get on a plane. And, there was so much fear just in the world at that time, and it made it feel like we were in this little tiny bubble of creative arts. And so, it was so special, right? Because we couldn't leave, we were there every day, you know, we're working, sleeping, eating, you know, hanging out all in the same place. And so, I don't think I'll ever be in that circumstance again. It really just created this unique family.
As you may recall, when Mike White’s series was first made for HBO, it was supposed to be a six-episode miniseries that would be finished for good after the end of its insulated season. However, after it became so popular, it wasn’t long before the show was renewed and crafted into an anthology series. As Rothwell continued:
And then, you cut to Season 3 and everything's bigger, the cast list is huge and the production value's insane, but there's also this common denominator of Mike White and the team he has. When I showed up for Season 3, we had the same DP, we had the same AD, the same hair and makeup team, the same wardrobe, and costume team. And so, it felt like coming home, even though a lot has changed. I think Mike has done a lot to protect the heart of the show.
Natasha Rothwell was not part of the Italy season where Tanya died, but she most certainly tuned in and “screamed” and threw her phone “across the room.” The actress also texted Jennifer Coolidge over the huge development in disbelief of the moment. Now that she’s a major part of the plotline in Season 3, here’s what she teased in our interview:
It's so wonderful to be a character that audiences look to be like, ‘Is this cool?’ or ‘That's crazy, right?’ She's such a grounding force, I think for the arc of this season. And, yeah, I'm very protective of that. I wanna be able to sort of portray her in a way where, I am a place of safety, a little bit of chicken soup for the soul, for audiences that are viewing. But this time, she's not as safe from what's going on and there's the threat of danger that is taking away the peace that she went there to seek. And I think audiences are gonna be nervous for her, and rightfully so.
Considering The White Lotus follows a slew of extremely rich guests of the fictional resort, many audience members, like myself, will particularly attach themselves to Belinda, because she’s not used to the wild things in these fancy resorts like pillow menus that the actual hotel really had. While Belinda was pretty much on the sidelines in Season 1 of the scandal, this time it seems she could end up in the middle of it with Tanya’s husband staying at the same time as her.
Oof, we have so many theories about White Lotus Season 3 already, but I really hope that Belinda doesn’t end up being Greg’s next victim! More episodes of the show are in the 2025 TV schedule every Sunday.
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