Natasha Rothwell reveals wild detail from filming The White Lotus: ‘Outside my bedroom’

Returning White Lotus cast member Natasha Rothwell has revealed a gobsmacking detail from behind the scenes of the show.

After more than two years, fans are finally about to check back in to The White Lotus.

The hit HBO series is returning for season three (streaming locally on BINGE) – and while it’s mostly an entirely new cast, one familiar face will be among them.

Natasha Rothwell, who appeared as spa manager Belinda in the Hawaii-based debut season of the satirical comedy-drama series, is reprising the role as the story moves to Thailand.

The cast were “literally landlocked in the hotel” during filming of the first season, Rothwell told news.com.au, as the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a standstill. Also, at that point, the series was still completely unknown – so it was a whole different experience when the actress, 44, returned to the production.

“It was vastly different … season one, we weren’t permitted to leave [the hotel] because it was covid, pre-vaccination – so industry rules on covid protocols didn’t even exist,” Rothwell explained.

“Now in this season, we’re abroad, we’re able to shoot all over. We moved around Thailand at least six times.”

The White Lotus season three will premiere this month, featuring Rothwell as Belinda. Picture: Supplied

As well as that, the ensemble cast size had swelled dramatically.

“I think there were 19 of the main cast members [in season three], and that’s just vastly different from the first season.”

Despite the major changes, both “literally and culturally”, Rothwell added that there was still a “familiarity” to the set.

“So it was like returning home a little bit.”

Given the increasing scope of The White Lotus, the fact that the next season was filming on the Thai island of Koh Samui became widely known fairly quickly.

Fans flocked to the popular tourist destination, trying to get a closer look and maybe a hint at what this season’s famous plot twist would involve – so much so, that Rothwell even experienced a shocking intrusion during filming.

“There was a drone outside of my hotel room,” she recalled, adding that she’d initially been confused as the production crew had been using the remote-operated camera devices during filming.

“I remember texting one of the [executive producers] and [asking], ‘are we filming today?’ and he’s like ‘no, the drones aren’t up’ … I was like, ‘well, there’s a drone outside my bedroom right now – and I’m not wearing anything’.”

Rothwell added: “So the interest was pretty high.”

Stream The White Lotus Season 3 on BINGE from February 17, available on Hubbl.

Fans can expect another shock death during the week-long resort stay. Picture: Supplied

With a dedicated fanbase, stellar line-up, and the opportunity to film for months at some of the world’s most beautiful places, 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, newcomer Michelle 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.”

The White Lotus season three is streaming on BINGE from February 17.