It’s Hard for Natasha Rothwell to Pick Just One Favorite Scene From “The White Lotus” Season 3 – But If Pressed, She Has To Go With The Big Moment In The HBO Series’ Finale Where Her Character, Spa Manager Belinda Lindsey, and Belinda’s Son, Zion Hush-Money Settlement with Jon Gries’ Greg, aka Gary, The Shady Guy Who Almost Certainly had a hand in Killing his wife, Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge).
He offers $ 100,000. Belinda plays hardball and mom and son go away $ 5 million richer. “It was so fun to do, to play all these turns, to show her agency and power at that moment,” Rothwell said.
What did you think when you found out that she is taking the money?
Rothwell: What is so interesting about that scene in particular is Mike (White, the Creator series) had written it differently. Sion had taken the lead, kind of keeping her clean. And I remember saying to Mike, “I really want her to have agency. I don’t just want men to deal with the problem. I want to see how she takes control and maybe even make it worse by saying” yes. “And he took that pitch. Right now she sees Greg sweating, and she’s like,” Oh, we have him. “And so that the turn (to support her son’s demand for $ 5 million), it was surprising but motivated. It only raises the efforts. It makes her dirty in a way that I think is really human and fun.
People have compared Belinda’s decision to take the money to what Tanya did to Belinda during the first season because she leaves her new lover (Pornchai, played by Dom Hetrakul) in the dust after she gets rich. What do you do from that?
I go hard for Belinda. I understand the desire for comparison – how couldn’t you? Tanya gave very specific promises to Belinda and betrayed her. But Season 1 Belinda was punishable by outsourcing her joy to someone else, which is a dangerous thing to do. I don’t think she’s a villain for (taking the money). She chose herself. I wish people were not like, “Look at she repeated what happened in season 1.” It’s such a thin pov for me. I am like, “At this moment, the folk-wagon chose himself. Holy sh-t.” We should be like “yes!” And yes, she had a one-night stand with a guy. She does not owe him the world, and she really does not need another addiction. She takes care of her son, and now she takes care of herself. So I understand that that may be the answer, but I agree that she was doing something wrong.
You are best known as a comedian. Do you want to do more drama series?
Yes. I was trained in drama – I am classically trained. Comedy opened the door and I love it, but Mike really allowed me to lean into the part of myself that I definitely did not have the opportunity to do. And the show has been such a gift that it allows the industry as a whole to recognize all aspects of my talent and not just put me in a box. And, you know, so often the industry can be very binary when it comes to how it looks at actors and puts them in boxes. So it is nice to be able to be in a place where the roles that come in now and the scripts that I read are different, not just on what is on the page but the tone and genre as well.
Have you had any conversations with Mike White about Belinda returning for Season 4?
No conversations with him about it. I would go to Target for the man, do you know what I mean? I would do what he wants me to do. And he knows it. Of course, I would love to come back, but I am also a writer, and I know that if the story does not need it, it does not need. So we’ll see what happens. I’m just excited for the journey that Belinda has before her off screen. She has this financial wind case. She can breathe financially for the first time in her life. And it’s blood money, so I definitely don’t think it’s going to be easy. But how Mike decides to tell that story? If he decides to tell you that story I’m there.
This story first ran down to The Wire: Drama Issue of thewrap’s Awards Magazine.
Read more from Down to the Wire: Drama question here.
