White Lotus star Michelle Monaghan spills on hugely anticipated TV return
It’s among the biggest shows on TV, and the latest season is shrouded in secrecy – but one of its stars has just dropped some huge clues.
TV
Don't miss out on the headlines from TV. Followed categories will be added to My News.
IN LONDON
Tom Cruise is “so disciplined”, Brad Pitt is loads of “fun”, and Matthew McConaughey is incredibly “committed”.
When it comes to shedding light on some of the biggest names in Hollywood, Michelle Monaghan – whose illustrious career has seen her star in multiple blockbuster films and TV shows – is fairly uniquely positioned.
She’s also one of the host of new faces joining the Emmy-winning HBO series, The White Lotus (streaming locally on BINGE) for season three, playing actress Jaclyn, who’s on the trip of a lifetime (or not) with two of her best friends.
Ahead of the show’s highly-anticipated February 17 premiere, Monaghan sat down with news.com.au to spill details about filming the top-secret show – and what she really thinks of her very high-profile past co-stars.
Scoring her breakout role on TV drama Boston Public in the early 2000s, Monaghan went on to appear in a series of major films, including as Gwen in the Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt-led Mr & Mrs Smith in 2005.
“[Pitt] was so fun, he was so fun,” she recalled of their time on set, which came around the time of the breakdown of his marriage to Jennifer Aniston. “He was just so lighthearted and fun – he’s lovely.”
Two years later, Monaghan teamed up with Ben Stiller in the romantic comedy, The Heartbreak Kid.
“Oh my God, [Stiller] is such a genius at [improvisation], it’s just what comes to mind when I think of [him],” she told news.com.au.
“On that film, we improvised so much – he taught me how to improvise, essentially.”
Her Made of Honour co-star Patrick Dempsey is “a sweetheart”, according to Monaghan, but some of her highest praise was reserved for Tom Cruise.
Stream The White Lotus Season 3 on BINGE from February 17, available on Hubbl.
The actress is a firm fixture in the Mission: Impossible universe, having appeared with Cruise in Mission: Impossible III (2006), Ghost Protocol (2011), and Fallout (2018).
He’s been no stranger to off-screen controversies over the years, but his frequent co-star described their working relationship as “fantastic”.
“[He’s] so disciplined,” Monaghan gushed. “I love him.”
Similarly, she was in awe of Matthew McConaughey after their stint as spouses in the critically-acclaimed first season of True Detective in 2014.
He’s “just so committed”, Monaghan explained of his appearance as troubled, nihilistic police officer, Detective Rustin “Rust” Cohle.
“He embodied that role in such a way that it informed so much about me as an actor – that experience all around was just incredible.
“That was a set where … it was just so palpable. It was so special – you could feel it.”
And now Monaghan joins the White Lotus juggernaut, which has only grown bigger since season one dropped in 2021, bringing all its irreverent humour and biting social satire.
In late 2022, the resort-based story moved from Hawaii to Sicily and adopted a whole new cast, bar the return of original star Jennifer Coolidge.
This time around, it’s season one’s spa manager Natasha Rothwell providing that thread of familiarity for viewers, while The White Lotus moves to Thailand.
With a dedicated fanbase, stellar line-up, and the opportunity to film for months at some of the world’s most beautiful places (it is, after all, the point of the show), being carefully selected by series creator Mike White is basically an actor’s dream come true.
Describing how they all created a “little White Lotus bubble” for the six months they spent in Thailand, Monaghan described it as a “hands-down, once-in-a-lifetime experience”.
The group would regularly “go out and explore” the stunning region together, and Monaghan even received her diving certificate during her days off.
“We’d have our breakfast [together], we’d all hit the gym, then we’d say, ‘What are you doing today? Can I join you?’,” she said.
“We all loved hanging out together … At the end of the day, we’d just grab a Singha [beer] from the bar and all head down to the beach and watch the sunset together. None of us took it for granted.”
Such is the genius writing behind the twists and turns of each season of The White Lotus, fans can only be certain of just a couple of key details each season: there will be a flock of rich guests checking into a 5-star hotel, and someone will likely die.
As soon as she landed the role, even Monaghan was desperate to know the big reveal.
The actress, who is married to an Australian graphic artist, was about to board an overnight flight headed Down Under when the scripts for all eight episodes landed in her inbox.
“I went, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m not going to sleep on this flight’,” Monaghan admitted.
“I got on and read and read, it was such a page-turner … and in true White Lotus fashion, I had no idea who the victim was until the very last few pages.
“So you can expect that again in season three!”
The White Lotus season three is streaming on BINGE from February 17.
Originally published as White Lotus star Michelle Monaghan spills on hugely anticipated TV return
Tom Hanks linked to remake of The Castle
The creators of The Castle have shared some secrets about the iconic Aussie film, including a random story about Tom Hanks.
Rebecca Gibney’s surprise TV turn at 60
As she heads into her third act, Rebecca Gibney is challenging herself – and her body – with an unexpected new project.