Natasha Rothwell Had 'Imposter Syndrome' onWhite LotusSeason 3 Working with 'People I Idolized Growing Up' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Natasha Rothwell attends the Walt Disney Company Post-Emmys Celebration on September 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Photo:Stewart Cook/Disney/GettyNatasha Rothwellhad more than a handful of first-day jitters when she walked back on the set ofThe White Lotus.The actress — who starred in season 1 as Belinda, a spa manager who formed a tight bond withJennifer Coolidge’s Tanya— is the only returning cast member for the highly-anticipated third season, but even she had a few bumps in the road as she slipped back into character.“Carrie Coon gave me the best descriptor. She’s like, ‘It’s like putting on a wet bathing suit,'” Rothwell tells PEOPLE of preparing to revisit Belinda.“You know it fits. You know it fits. And you know, once you get in the water, it’s going to feel wonderful. But it’s also just a little… You’re just like, ‘Wait a minute, does the arm go here? Okay.’ And then you jump in, you’re like, ‘Oh, I know how… I know this.'“The actual legwork of getting herself back into the mindset of the character was one thing, but Rothwell, 43, admits that there was another major roadblock in the early days of filming.“These are people that I idolized growing up, and so sharing the screen with them, I had such imposter syndrome,” she says, referring to the impressive slate of costars that includesParker Posey(who “called me today”) andMichelle Monaghan, who recently moderated a panel about Rothwell’s new Hulu series,How to Die Alone.Natasha Rothwell in ‘The White Lotus’ season 1.Mario Perez/HBO"Even asking Michelle to moderate a panel, I told my team, I was like, ‘She is Michelle Monaghan. There’s no way she’s going to do it.’ And we were so close in Thailand — we were all so close — and she literally responded so fast, [she] was like, ‘Absolutely,'” Rothwell shares. “She came prepared. She had watched the series, and it’s just… You create a family when you doWhite Lotus.“A piece of advice from another one of her A-list costars,Carrie Coon, also helped Rothwell feel secure in herself on set.“Carrie was actually the one who brought me back to Earth, because she was just like, ‘We’re all nervous to meet you because you were season one. You’re, like, the OG.'“It’s not just Posey, Monaghan and Coon that Rothwell has bonded with, though. It’s “every single person in the cast,” she says. “We’re on text chains… It’s obnoxious, I think.“She praises creatorMike Whitefor developing such a strong sense of camaraderie on set — and not just once, but three times over. “He has the Midas touch. He’s very good at creating that chemistry.““This is the thing that I will say is the same as season one: the connections you make on aWhite Lotusset are legit,” she continues.Natasha Rothwell in ‘How to Die Alone’.Disney/Lindsay SarazinSimilarly to Monaghan, her costarLeslie Bibbalso stepped up recently to help Rothwell make “some videos to promote [How to Die Alone]. She’s like, ‘I’m there.'““Having people show up for me is also one of those pinch me moments where it’s just like… I’ve done it so much for other people, I never expect reciprocity,” she says. “And so it’s been really cool to see that from all of the castmates I’ve ever had, butWhite Lotusparticularly has been super supportive.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Seasons 1 and 2 ofThe White Lotuscan be streamed on HBO Max.

Natasha Rothwell attends the Walt Disney Company Post-Emmys Celebration on September 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Photo:Stewart Cook/Disney/Getty

Stewart Cook/Disney/Getty

Natasha Rothwellhad more than a handful of first-day jitters when she walked back on the set ofThe White Lotus.The actress — who starred in season 1 as Belinda, a spa manager who formed a tight bond withJennifer Coolidge’s Tanya— is the only returning cast member for the highly-anticipated third season, but even she had a few bumps in the road as she slipped back into character.“Carrie Coon gave me the best descriptor. She’s like, ‘It’s like putting on a wet bathing suit,'” Rothwell tells PEOPLE of preparing to revisit Belinda.“You know it fits. You know it fits. And you know, once you get in the water, it’s going to feel wonderful. But it’s also just a little… You’re just like, ‘Wait a minute, does the arm go here? Okay.’ And then you jump in, you’re like, ‘Oh, I know how… I know this.'“The actual legwork of getting herself back into the mindset of the character was one thing, but Rothwell, 43, admits that there was another major roadblock in the early days of filming.“These are people that I idolized growing up, and so sharing the screen with them, I had such imposter syndrome,” she says, referring to the impressive slate of costars that includesParker Posey(who “called me today”) andMichelle Monaghan, who recently moderated a panel about Rothwell’s new Hulu series,How to Die Alone.Natasha Rothwell in ‘The White Lotus’ season 1.Mario Perez/HBO"Even asking Michelle to moderate a panel, I told my team, I was like, ‘She is Michelle Monaghan. There’s no way she’s going to do it.’ And we were so close in Thailand — we were all so close — and she literally responded so fast, [she] was like, ‘Absolutely,'” Rothwell shares. “She came prepared. She had watched the series, and it’s just… You create a family when you doWhite Lotus.“A piece of advice from another one of her A-list costars,Carrie Coon, also helped Rothwell feel secure in herself on set.“Carrie was actually the one who brought me back to Earth, because she was just like, ‘We’re all nervous to meet you because you were season one. You’re, like, the OG.'“It’s not just Posey, Monaghan and Coon that Rothwell has bonded with, though. It’s “every single person in the cast,” she says. “We’re on text chains… It’s obnoxious, I think.“She praises creatorMike Whitefor developing such a strong sense of camaraderie on set — and not just once, but three times over. “He has the Midas touch. He’s very good at creating that chemistry.““This is the thing that I will say is the same as season one: the connections you make on aWhite Lotusset are legit,” she continues.Natasha Rothwell in ‘How to Die Alone’.Disney/Lindsay SarazinSimilarly to Monaghan, her costarLeslie Bibbalso stepped up recently to help Rothwell make “some videos to promote [How to Die Alone]. She’s like, ‘I’m there.'““Having people show up for me is also one of those pinch me moments where it’s just like… I’ve done it so much for other people, I never expect reciprocity,” she says. “And so it’s been really cool to see that from all of the castmates I’ve ever had, butWhite Lotusparticularly has been super supportive.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Seasons 1 and 2 ofThe White Lotuscan be streamed on HBO Max.

Natasha Rothwellhad more than a handful of first-day jitters when she walked back on the set ofThe White Lotus.

The actress — who starred in season 1 as Belinda, a spa manager who formed a tight bond withJennifer Coolidge’s Tanya— is the only returning cast member for the highly-anticipated third season, but even she had a few bumps in the road as she slipped back into character.

“Carrie Coon gave me the best descriptor. She’s like, ‘It’s like putting on a wet bathing suit,'” Rothwell tells PEOPLE of preparing to revisit Belinda.

“You know it fits. You know it fits. And you know, once you get in the water, it’s going to feel wonderful. But it’s also just a little… You’re just like, ‘Wait a minute, does the arm go here? Okay.’ And then you jump in, you’re like, ‘Oh, I know how… I know this.'”

The actual legwork of getting herself back into the mindset of the character was one thing, but Rothwell, 43, admits that there was another major roadblock in the early days of filming.

“These are people that I idolized growing up, and so sharing the screen with them, I had such imposter syndrome,” she says, referring to the impressive slate of costars that includesParker Posey(who “called me today”) andMichelle Monaghan, who recently moderated a panel about Rothwell’s new Hulu series,How to Die Alone.

Natasha Rothwell in ‘The White Lotus’ season 1.Mario Perez/HBO

Mario Perez/HBO

“Even asking Michelle to moderate a panel, I told my team, I was like, ‘She is Michelle Monaghan. There’s no way she’s going to do it.’ And we were so close in Thailand — we were all so close — and she literally responded so fast, [she] was like, ‘Absolutely,'” Rothwell shares. “She came prepared. She had watched the series, and it’s just… You create a family when you doWhite Lotus.”

A piece of advice from another one of her A-list costars,Carrie Coon, also helped Rothwell feel secure in herself on set.

“Carrie was actually the one who brought me back to Earth, because she was just like, ‘We’re all nervous to meet you because you were season one. You’re, like, the OG.'”

It’s not just Posey, Monaghan and Coon that Rothwell has bonded with, though. It’s “every single person in the cast,” she says. “We’re on text chains… It’s obnoxious, I think.”

She praises creatorMike Whitefor developing such a strong sense of camaraderie on set — and not just once, but three times over. “He has the Midas touch. He’s very good at creating that chemistry.”

“This is the thing that I will say is the same as season one: the connections you make on aWhite Lotusset are legit,” she continues.

Natasha Rothwell in ‘How to Die Alone’.Disney/Lindsay Sarazin

Disney/Lindsay Sarazin

Similarly to Monaghan, her costarLeslie Bibbalso stepped up recently to help Rothwell make “some videos to promote [How to Die Alone]. She’s like, ‘I’m there.'”

“Having people show up for me is also one of those pinch me moments where it’s just like… I’ve done it so much for other people, I never expect reciprocity,” she says. “And so it’s been really cool to see that from all of the castmates I’ve ever had, butWhite Lotusparticularly has been super supportive.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Seasons 1 and 2 ofThe White Lotuscan be streamed on HBO Max.

source: people.com