The White Lotus’ Natasha Rothwell on what convinced her to return for season three

The White Lotus star Natasha Rothwell has explained why she took the decision to reprise her role in the black comedy series, and teased more about her character’s story arc.

The How To Die Alone actress joined the The White Lotus cast back in season one, playing Belinda Lindsey, the spa manager at the Hawaii resort.

After befriending airy heiress Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge), Belinda is promised support in setting up her own wellness brand. Yet, when Tanya opts to focus on her blossoming romance with Greg (Jon Gries), she tells Belinda she can no longer help her, and Belinda bins her business proposal.

Belinda was absent from season two, which (spoiler alert!) saw the demise of her one-time potential business partner Tanya, and fans were led to believe they wouldn’t be seeing the holistic heroine again. Rothwell herself, it appears, didn’t think we’d be seeing the affable character again, either.

Yet Rothwell is bringing Belinda back for season three, the only former actress and character to make a return this time around. The new season sees the congenial queen jet to the Thailand branch of the resort in search of a spiritual spark, and to refine her knowledge of Thai wellness practices. 

Speaking exclusively to PinkNews, Rothwell lifted the lid on how her character’s comeback came about and revealed that she initially wasn’t sure the show would even get a second season.

“After season one I was like, ‘That’s done’. I didn’t even know there would be a season two. And then when season two happened, I was watching along with everyone else, and when Tanya dies, I texted Jennifer. I was like: “Coolidge! You didn’t tell me this was happening!’ So I had no conceit that Belinda would come back,” she explained.

“So when Mike told me that that’s what he was noodling around with, I was really excited. Then when it actually happened and the offer came through, I was just like: ‘Oh my God! I get to do this again.’ This once in a lifetime opportunity turned into twice for me and I just feel super lucky.”

Much of Belinda’s season three storyline remains under wraps. For Rothwell though, the character’s storylines didn’t matter: she just wanted to be in Mike White’s orbit again.

“I would follow Mike to the toilet. You know what I mean? I love him,” she joked.

“I love his work. He’s prolific and I think that he’s a true auteur. His eye is like no other. His storytelling is like no other. I trust him implicitly and we collaborate on the role. We did season one, we did it again this season. So being able to work with him, to deepen the character story and history, it’s just a joy,” she shared. “I would follow him anywhere.”

While Rothwell may be hoping to imitate some of the awards success she received the first time around – she scored a Best Supporting Actress nod at the 2022 Emmy Awards – fans of the satirical series simply want to see Belinda have a happy ending. On whether it will come to that, though, Rothwell remains tight-lipped.

“I can’t, I’ve signed my life away… there’s so much I can’t say,” she said.

“But I think that it’s a really cool season because we get to see Belinda outside of her hospitality role, and she’s learning more about it. She’s there for work, but she also gets to be a guest at The White Lotus, which makes her a possibility,” she laughed, hinting that Belinda could well be caught up in the chaos and turmoil typically faced by the other guests.

“It’s exciting to be a part of that. I think audiences will like to see more of her in that way, in her everyday life.”

The White Lotus launches on Sky and streaming service NOW on Monday 17 February.

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