Fans of the hit, award-winning television show White Lotus went through all the emotions with Belinda Lindsey. Natasha Rothwell’s wide-range performance as Kelli has created these conflicted feelings. Belinda is pure of heart. She proves to be one of the resort’s nicest and most earnest characters to ever appear on the show. Her goodness has made her a target for exploitation. This has led to the most conversations yet about the meaning of her arc across the series.
By the end of the first season, we start to see the cracks in Belinda’s friendship with Tanya McQuoid, played by Jennifer Coolidge. Tanya, a wealthy yet morally ambiguous socialite, offers to finance Belinda’s dream of opening a wellness center, a glimmer of hope for Belinda amid her struggles. Sadly, Tanya soon reneges and disappears with Greg. This leaves Belinda both heartbroken and disillusioned.
Rothwell does think Belinda’s dismal decisions have led to great repercussions, but he doesn’t imagine her going full super villain. She noted, “I don’t think so. I think her heart is good, but I do think that she was flirting with being a baddie by taking this money.” Even as Belinda must make painful choices, Rothwell makes sure Belinda is a person of principle.
In season two, Greg hires Belinda to keep any future link to Tanya’s almost-certain death quiet. This most recent move adds yet another layer of complexity to her stranglehold. The emotional upheaval that follows makes clear how vulnerable Belinda actually is. Rothwell articulated this point by stating, “She was so devastated by Tanya taking what little hope she had and shattering it.”
Fans are urging Belinda to make sure that Pornchai is part of her exit. Rothwell is unwavering in her defense of her character’s agency. She remarked, “People tell me to my face, they’re just like, ‘Oh, you should have taken Pornchai with you.’ And I’m like, ‘No ma’am, no sir. She does not owe a man anything. She has decentered men. She is centering herself.’”
A talented, Emmy-nominated actress, Rothwell has captivated viewers with her performance of Belinda throughout seasons one and three. She makes us feel the burden of the character’s traumas and struggles with the moral ambiguity of Belinda’s circumstances. White Lotus brilliantly depicts the messiness of moral duality. This provocative dynamic invites powerful reflections on free will and implications of our decisions.
