Adam Patla
When it was initially announced that Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) would return to the infamous resort, The White Lotus fans rejoiced. However, none were as excited as Rothwell herself. “I would go to Target for Mike White,” she gushes about the Emmy-winning writer.
The third iteration of the hit series sees the focus shift to the Thailand resort where Belinda is participating in a work exchange. Ready to move past the events of season one, she attempts to throw herself in head first and go after what she wants. However, a familiar face threatens to upend everything Belinda is working toward.
One of the most impressive things about Rothwell’s work this season is how effortlessly she steps back into her shoes. When asked about what it felt like to return to Belinda, Rothwell deferred to quoting her costar, Carrie Coon. “‘It’s like putting on a wet bathing suit. You know it fits, it feels a little weird, but everything’s fine when you get in the water.’”
But just because it felt familiar, doesn’t mean this was the exact same Belinda. Throughout season one, Belinda shines through as one of the few characters with genuine compassion and care for others. That compassion, however, gets taken advantage of at every turn. This time around, Belinda takes care to preserve her compassion, but she’s never letting it come at the expense of herself.
“The audience is getting to know a version of Belinda that I’ve already met and already known. But now she’s allowed to be free,” Rothwell explained. “And I think so much of her existence is biting her tongue and swallowing blood and not allowed to say what she thinks…. …[S]he gets to be in Thailand and gets to try on this vacation persona where she can be loud and have a one night stand and explore parts of herself and be mama bear. All those things were in the DNA of the character as I built her season 1, but the expression of those things this season is so cathartic because it’s like she finally gets to say what she thinks….She’s putting herself first.”
In putting herself first, however, Belinda makes some decisions that left fans a bit divided. On the subject of Belinda’s controversial decision to take Greg’s (John Gries) hush money, Rothwell echoed the divisive response, saying that “it felt deserved because she was fed so many lies by Tanya in season one [but] she knows in her heart that she’s playing with fire…. For me, the ending for her it’s beautiful for her because we see her center herself…but I’m worried for her a little bit.”
Rothwell’s detailed work allows Belinda’s internal conflict of going after her dreams and maintaining her integrity to shine brightly. Her work in season one and three can be seen in its entirety on Max Awards Radar sat down with Natasha Rothwell to discuss the catharsis of returning to Belinda, staying present on a major series, and what she thinks about Belidna’s ending. Watch the full interview below.
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