‘The White Lotus’ to bring back fan favorite character from season one

A fan-favorite character from season one of The White Lotus is set to make a return for the series’ upcoming third installment. Natasha Rothwell, who portrayed Belinda Lindsey in the HBO series’ first outing, will reprise her role as a begrudging spa manager in season three, as reported by Deadline. Fans of the Mike White satire will remember that by the end of season one, Belinda was left somewhat grifted after Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid didn’t follow through on her promise of funding the masseur’s prospective wellness centre. 

Rothwell joins Coolidge in reprising her White Lotus role, following the latter’s return to the second season last year. Rothwell — who was nominated for an Emmy for her role in the anthology series’ first season — could be joined again in the season three cast by Connie Britton. The actress played businesswoman Nicole Mossbacher in season one, and told Deadline that after conversations with White, her “intention” is to return to the third season. 

“I would love to see a spinoff on every character in that show,” Britton said. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that season three of The White Lotus will be set in the fictional hotel’s Thailand location, though details beyond its setting remain relatively scarce. Following the season two finale late last year, White did tease that the upcoming season could focus on Eastern religion. 

“The first season we highlighted money and then the second season is sex and I think the third season, it would be maybe a kind of satirical and funny look at death in Eastern religion and spirituality,” White said per Deadline. “It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus.”  Beyond Rothwell, the cast for The White Lotus season three has not yet been revealed, though Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Lee Curtis and James Marsden have all thrown their hats in the ring. 

Last month, Aniston expressed interest in portraying McQuoid’s younger sister, while Marsden said he was “in for” joining the cast. Curtis, meanwhile, admitted in February that while she doesn’t “know what it is,” she’d be happy to star in The White Lotus season three.