Natasha Rothwell is officially checking back into The White Lotus for season three. The writer-actor is speaking for the first time about reprising her role as spa manager Belinda Lindsey, who appeared in the first season of Mike White’s wicked dramedy. Rothwell said she read all of White’s scripts for season three, and the new storylines left her in shock.
“I gasped out loud a minimum of five times, and this was just me reading them,” Rothwell told Vanity Fair at the Los Angeles premiere of her latest movie, Wonka, on Sunday. “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!”
Rothwell was mum on any specific details about Belinda’s arc in the upcoming season. But viewers last saw her feeling disappointed after wealthy resort guest Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) promised her funding to open her own wellness spa, then suddenly rescinded. Rothwell was nominated for an Emmy in 2022 for her performance, and she’s looking forward to fleshing out the character with White once again.
“Mike is so collaborative. 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,” said Rothwell, who is also known for her role as Kelli Prenny on HBO’s Insecure. “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.”
Season three of the satire is set to film in Thailand, and Rothwell said she’ll start filming the new episodes next year. White recently teased a “supersized” season, saying that “it’s going to be longer, bigger, crazier”—but new episodes likely won’t air until 2025.
In the meantime, Rothwell gets to sing and dance opposite Timothée Chalamet in the musical film Wonka, out in theaters December 15.
“I went to school for theater proper, so it definitely hearkened back to my upbringing of music rehearsals, dance rehearsals, and choreography and hitting your marks,” said Rothwell of the movie. “It was a lot of fun to flex those muscles again. I love to sing.”