Natasha Rothwell: The long-awaited return of the beloved Belinda in ‘The White Lotus’

All the universal themes contained in the HBO dark comedy The White Lotus are reflected in its cyclical nature, says actress Natasha Rothwell. Her character, the endearing Belinda, who appeared in the first season, when the project was still considered a miniseries, returns alongside a new group of guests for a third season.

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Trailer for 'The White Lotus'

For the 44-year-old U.S. actress, one of the key attractions of The White Lotus — which has now become an anthology series — is seeing how it embraces the myth of Sisyphus, the figure from Greek mythology condemned to endlessly roll a heavy boulder up a mountain.

At the start of each season, a group of workers at a luxury hotel greets a new group of guests. Eight episodes later, they bid them farewell and welcome a new set of visitors, regardless of what transpired in between (which is often a lot, even if they are slow-burn plots). As has become tradition on the show, not everyone makes it out alive.

“This structure gives the viewer the feeling that they’re only witnessing a part of a story that continues beyond what’s shown on screen,” says the actress during a break from filming the new episodes in early 2024 in Phuket, Thailand, a location EL PAÍS visited at the invitation of HBO.

At the series' inception, Belinda was one of the workers at a lavish Hawaiian resort who couldn’t express her true thoughts about the people around her, for fear of losing her job. “She was the voice of those who don’t have a voice, but without having to say anything,” explains Rothwell.

Mike White, the creator of The White Lotus, felt the character still had more to offer. She was the perfect fit to return to the series and maintain the connection to the original story, much like Jennifer Coolidge’s eccentric Tanya did in the second season.

This time, Belinda arrives at a Thai hotel in a role more akin to that of a guest. Her goal is to observe and take notes on the resort’s high standards while preparing to launch her own wellness business —something she dreamed of in the first season. This new setting and context allow both the script and Rothwell to explore new facets of the character, who has been an audience favorite from the start.

“This time, the characters' conflict arises when they travel to a place where they seek to connect with their spiritual side and, instead, find themselves having to confront their most primal impulses,” says White, also during a break from filming.

Rothwell uses a curious metaphor to explain what it was like working with him again: “It’s like sleeping with your favorite blanket,” she says. “It’s interesting to slip into the same character for a second time, but what’s truly a delight is being in the same boat he steers. He’s the most adept at this type of narrative that the series develops: characters rich in emotion, complex stories with nuances and morals. And he’s an alchemist of actors; he knows how to create casts with chemistry.”

Her co-star Carrie Coon, one of the actresses cast in the third season, gave a description of what it feels like for an actor to reprise the same character. “She said it’s like putting on a wet swimsuit: it fits you, and you start moving. Even though you’ll feel great, it’s going to be a little tricky at first,” Rothwell recalls.

“This season, we’ll see Belinda explore who she is. And that idea of faith and spirituality that permeates the entire season will be reflected in her,” says Rothwell. She’s not a new Belinda; she’s the same at her core. Because one of the themes of The White Lotus is a reminder that no matter how far you travel, your inner reality remains largely unchanged.

“In fact, when you change your surroundings, that’s when you’re most true to yourself. At least, that’s what happened to me,” she explains. “When I was in my twenties, I spent a whole year in Tokyo. I thought it was going to be great, and that I’d escape my problems. But in reality, I felt like a fish out of water, and at the same time, I knew myself better than ever.”

“I think audiences, in the same way they identified with Belinda in the first season, will see her as a kind of oasis among not-so-nice people. The character’s arc is consistent in that sense. She’s a safe place the audience can always lean on,” says Rothwell.

For the American actress, the fact that her character incorporates so many new nuances this time around is a blessing: “It’s not an easy thing to find as a Black woman in Hollywood, where many of our characters are so limited when it comes to showing more complex emotions,” she confesses.

For five seasons, she was one of the leads on the HBO show Insecure, playing a hilarious character who took comedy to the extreme. “For many industry leaders, it was the only thing I knew how to do. So Mike and The White Lotus saved me in a way,” she says.

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