As The White Lotus returns without one fan favorite, another struggled with her absence as well.
Following the shocking death of Jennifer Coolidge‘s Tanya McQuoid in the Season 2 finale, Natasha Rothwell recalled her reaction to the scene and what she texted Coolidge afterward.
“I was probably the most rabid fan of Season 2,” she said on the Today show. “(I) remember the moment Jennifer died. I screamed and, like, threw my phone across the room, grabbed my phone, texted Jennifer. I’m like, ‘Holy … what?’
“And then, yeah, she was just like, ‘I couldn’t tell you,’” added Rothwell, who reprises her Season 1 role as spa manager Belinda Lindsey in the upcoming third season, premiering Sunday at 8pm ET on HBO.
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Creator Mike White previously teased some performances “I feel rival” Coolidge’s “as far as hopefully iconic performances,” citing Rothwell as one such portrayal.
“How do you go about replacing Jennifer?” he asked Time. “It’s not just the creative part, but she’s a very good friend, and also a big part of the show just as a person. I’m not friends with the cast the way that I’m friends with Jennifer.”
Season 3 of The White Lotus also features Parker Posey, Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Jason Isaacs, Lalisa Manobal, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Nivola, Lek Patravadi, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tayme Thapthimthong and Aimee Lou Wood.
Following her first Golden Globe and second Emmy win for playing Tanya, Coolidge admitted she’s “jealous of everyone” appearing in Season 3 of The White Lotus.
“I just want to stress I’m not a good sport about it, but there’s nothing I can do. When they kill you, you have to accept it. Because it means they’re not calling for your costume sizes or anything. It’s over! I have to get another thing. I have to make another thing happen, I guess,” she said on Today last February. “But am I sad? I just want to say in all honesty, I’m very sad I’m not in it.”
Coolidge added, “I had a blast. I think [Season 3] is going to be good. There’s going to be all sorts of good stuff in it, probably great sex stuff. You know how Mike White writes — it’s never, never a dull moment. I think he’s going to slay with this one.”
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