The White Lotus star teases jaw-dropping season three plot: ‘I gasped out loud’
The White Lotus star Natasha Rothwell was gagged by season three’s storylines. (Getty/HBO Max)
Wonka star Natasha Rothwell, who is the only confirmed cast member for the upcoming third season of The White Lotus, has teased that the show’s new storylines made her “gasp out loud”.
Rothwell played spa manager and aspiring entrepreneur Belinda Lindsey in season one of Mike White’s Golden Globe-winning black comedy drama.
In her last appearance, Belinda was left in the lurch by Jennifer Coolidge’s ditzy Tanya McQuoid after the heiress promised to help Belinda fund her own wellness spa before going AWOL.
We all know what happened to Tanya next: “Please, these gays, they’re trying to murder me!”
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Rothwell, who confirmed she’d be checking back into The White Lotus when it returns to screens in 2025, said that fans should “buckle up” and prepare for absolute chaos in season three.
“I gasped out loud a minimum of five times, and this was just me reading them,” Rothwell said of being given the first script by the show’s bisexual creator, Mike White.
“The scripts are a testament to Mike’s skill and ability to tell the most smart and entertaining stories. I mean, everything that he does is like a lesson to me as an actor and a performer. And as a writer myself, he takes folks on a journey.
“Everyone needs to buckle up, because it’s going to get real!”
The White Lotus joins a long list of TV series which have had their production delayed due to the recently concluded actors’ strike. While the third outing was originally set to premiere in 2024, it will now be released in 2025.
Season three is set to be filmed in 2024 in Thailand and White has previously said that it will be “longer, bigger, crazier” than the two seasons that came before it.
“Mike is so collaborative,” Rothwell continued.
“When we did the first season, we sat down and talked a lot about Belinda and he was so receptive to feedback, and so we plan to approach it the same way.
“But all credit to him, what I love working with him is that he understands that Belinda’s POV is something that he doesn’t possess – so he’s really interested in my feedback, and really wants to make it authentic.
“And so I’m just so lucky to work with a director like him who understands the value of having me in the role and what I can bring.”
The White Lotus became an overnight success when it premiered on HBO in 2021, starring Coolidge alongside Sydney Sweeney, Connie Britton, and Molly Shannon. The season also featured Lukas Gage receiving a now-iconic rim job from The Last of Us star Murray Bartlett.
Season two, which aired at the end of 2022, featured Aubrey Plaza, Adam DiMarco, Meghann Fahy, Will Sharpe and Theo James among others. In total, the show has won more than 40 awards in just two years.
