Michelle Monaghan on the Complicated History of Friendships in The White Lotus

Michelle Monaghan had a lot of excitement around joining season 3 of The White Lotus having been a fan of Mike White’s writing for a while. She had the gift of receiving all of the scripts in one go ahead of filming and through this was able to start piecing together who she thought Jaclyn might be. Once she arrived in Thailand she got the chance to form the group friendship dynamic in the series alongside Carrie Coon and Leslie Bibb. The three of them discussed how often one is the perpetrator, one os the victim and one is the peacemaker but they found that these positions could be fluid depending on the scene.

She pointed out that part of the genius of creator Mike White’s writing is how it allows these characters to reveal things to themselves, and that Jaclyn was no exception to this. Jaclyn comes into the trip with high expectations in wanting to rekindle friendships which date back to childhood but quickly finds that they are being faced with the different paths they have each gone on in their own lives.

Filming the episode where they leave The White Lotus and explore the area and nightlife was one of her favorite episodes to film because of how it allowed them to explore who these women are in these spaces. She shared how Carrie and Leslie’s experience with comedy helped her to find the humor in the moment where Jaclyn storms away from the hotel pool they were sent too which she deems to be a place for retirees.

Watch the full conversation below:

Q&A on the HBO Max television series The White Lotus with actor Michelle Monaghan. Moderated by Mara Webster, In Creative Company.

Set in a tropical resort, it follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week.