Why White Lotus Season 3 Is Already Making Jaws Drop

Nathasha Rothwell is extending her stay. 

The White Lotus actress, who is set to reprise her season one role of hotel spa manager Belinda in the anthology series' third installment, revealed her reaction to reading the scripts for the first time —and sent a whole lot of praise to creator Mike White. 

"I gasped out loud a minimum of five times, and this was just me reading them," Natasha told Vanity Fair in an article published on Dec. 11. "The scripts are a testament to Mike's skill and ability to tell the most smart and entertaining stories."

In fact, the 43-year-old teased that fans are simply not prepared for what the writer has in store for their next stay at the White Lotus.  

"Everything that he does is like a lesson to me as an actor and a performer," she continued. "And as a writer myself, he takes folks on a journey. Everyone needs to buckle up, because it's going to get real!"

Belinda got the short end of the stick in her last appearance on the show. After spending season one confidante to Jennifer Coolidge's grieving heiress Tanya McQuoid, Belinda's dream of owning her own wellness spa comes crashing down when Tanya abandons her, leaving only a large sum of cash as a consolation.

And though the Insecure actress did not appear in season two of the series—which included Tanya's tragic demise—she shared insight into how she and White have collaborated on creating Belinda's arc. 

"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," Natasha noted. "He understands that Belinda's point of view is something that he doesn't possess—so he's really interested in my feedback, and really wants to make it authentic." 

She added, "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."

While much of the details are under wraps, White previously hinted at a "supersized" season to Entertainment Weekly.  And he's also teased the themes that may be explored in the show's third season—which after visits to the fictional hotel chain's locations in Maui and Sicily, will take place in Thailand. 

"The first season is highlighted with money, and then the second season is sex," he explained in a White Lotus behind-the-scenes clip last year. "The third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus."

For more details on the upcoming third season of The White Lotus, read on. 

On March 27, Variety reported that season three will take place in Thailand.

After wrapping production on The White Lotus' second season in Sicily, creator Mike White hinted that he already had a destination for season three in mind.

"The first season highlighted money and the second season is sex," he said. "I think the third season, it would be maybe a satirical, funny look at death, Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round."

The end of The White Lotus' second season still left some untied threads, particularly when it comes to the nefarious dealings of Tanya's (Jennifer Coolidge) husband Greg (Jon Gries).

However, Mike White suggested those questions might get answered sooner rather than later.

"I think as far as like, what happens to Greg and the conspiracy of Tanya's death, it's possible that I think Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) is scared enough to just leave it alone," White said to HBO after the season two finale, "but the fact that all of those guys die on the boat, it feels like there's gotta be somebody who's gonna track it back down to Greg. But maybe you'll have to wait to find out what happens."

The second season introduced viewers to sex-addicted producer Dominic Di Grasso, played by Michael Imperioli, traveling with his son Albie (Adam DiMarco) and father Bert (F. Murray Abraham).

While it's unclear if Michael has actually had conversations about reprising his role in season three—he'd certainly jump at the chance.

"Who knows, maybe there'll be another White Lotus season where Dominic comes with his wife and they patch it all up!" Michael suggested to Esquire in December. "I don't want to think about it too much. Because the idea of that makes me so happy. I don't want to be disappointed. I would want nothing more than that."

Hey, if that means we'd get to meet Laura Dern, who voiced Dominic's wife in season two, we're all for it!

In July 2022, Connie Britton—who played businesswoman Nicole Mossbacher in season one—revealed that she and Mike White had already discussed her potential return.

"He wanted me to be in the second season, and there was an idea that I loved for the character," Connie told Deadline in July 2022. "Our intention is to do it in the third season. A piece of casting didn't work in the second season and we're hoping to that in the third season."

When asked about the idea by E! News in January, Connie simply said, "Listen, my lips are sealed."

After Tanya—spoiler alert!—killed a bunch of people and then fell to her death in the season two finale, it stands to reason that Jennifer Coolidge probably won't be returning to The White Lotus for the third season in a row—even in ghost form.

"He sort of sticks to his guns," Jennifer said of Mike White in an interview with E! News Jan. 17. "He's an amazing friend, but I think he made his decision. He wanted a big, dramatic, Italian, you know, operatic ending for White Lotus 2, and he wanted to sacrifice Tanya."

May she rest in peace.

Simply put: It's still going to be a while.

Season three hasn't even started production yet, so if you're craving some devious resort behavior, you'll have to settle for a re-watch of the first two seasons of The White Lotus, which are available to stream on HBO Max.