Natasha Rothwell is anxiety As Kelly Preenney, Issa Rae’s most quote-unquote friend and CPA/meme machine, Rothwell is also a writer and producer on the series, and has delivered some of the most memorable lines. She earned an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Comedy Series category in 2020, and soon after was nominated again for another Emmy for her heartfelt supporting role as Belinda Lindsay, the spa manager who gets duped in season one. White Lotus.
Performers who can steal scenes from movies White Lotus Emmy Award winner Jennifer Coolidge is definitely a bright future. And SNL Having been part of a writers’ room early in her career, it was only a matter of time before she would head up her own show — and her time has come.
Rothwell is on Hulu How to Die Alonewhich is coming out of the streamer’s Onyx Collective imprint that centers stories from creators of color, will see her play Melissa, “a broke, overweight, black JFK airport employee who’s never been in love and has forgotten how to dream.”
Throughout the first season’s eight emotionally charged and entertaining episodes, Melissa plays Conrad Ricamora (Fire Island, Abraham Lincoln on Broadway Ahh, Mary!).
In creating the show and the character of Mel, Rothwell knew exactly who she had to look to for inspiration: “Me,” she says with a laugh.
“Apart from me,” she continues, “I think in today’s society, we talk so much about self-improvement and working on yourself, and so on, in terms of before and after photos. Like, if I do this one thing, everything will be fixed. But that’s not life. Life is about the journey, taking risks, making mistakes.”
The journey Rothwell wanted to reflect was her own. “I’ve been in therapy for over 20 years, and there’s no graduation at the end of this shit,” she says. “You have to keep learning and keep making mistakes. You have to keep growing and keep making mistakes, and that’s a challenge.”
Mel’s attempts to reach cruising altitude in her work and her love life are constantly thwarted, but she also experiences some triumphs amid her disappointments, and her comedic weaknesses are woven into this workplace comedy that makes the most of its JFK setting and diverse cast, which includes: Shaman’s Showcase Bashir Salahuddin as Mel’s pugnacious younger brother Brian; SNL Veteran actress Ellen Cleghorn makes a fun guest appearance as Mel’s shady mother, Beverly.
Their eventful season culminated in a final episode that boldly hinted at a major cliffhanger for Mel – but Rothwell is adamant it was a risk he was glad to have taken.
“It’s scary to put yourself out there in even the smallest of ways, but this is a really big thing,” she acknowledges, “but I knew that opportunities like this to be able to make a show don’t come often. Especially walking around the world as a Black, plus-size woman, it’s so rare to see a show that centers a story that’s created by someone who looks like me. So I didn’t want to hold back.”
The show is a shocking twist for a sitcom, exactly as Rothwell and co-showrunner Bella Santamaria intended: “We wanted it to be magical and surreal and very funny and very moving,” Rothwell explains. “We’re diverse, so we wanted to bring diversity to the show.”
She said the audience How to Die AloneRothwell will continue to work tirelessly developing projects with Big Hattie Productions, including the recently announced television adaptation of the hit TikTok series. Who the hell did I marry?.
She has already finished filming her long-awaited comeback. White LotusBelinda is entering its third season and is set to air in 2025, set in Thailand.
Rothwell’s Belinda didn’t appear in Season 2, which famously climaxed with Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid brandishing a pistol at a yacht full of gay men in Sicily, and Rothwell watched in astonishment as the rest of us.
“I was gagged like everyone else,” Rothwell recalled. “When I saw her brandishing the gun, I was like, ‘Yes!’ It was like an action hero. And then she slipped up. [gasps].
“A lot of people are going to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, were you told ahead of time that this was going to happen? Did you know?’ But I was literally just texting my friends. [The White Lotus creator] microphone [White] That night I said, ‘Oh my God, Mike, what did you do?’
One thing White ended up doing was asking Rothwell to return for Season 3. “It was a no-brainer to say yes,” she says, “and I’m really, really excited for audiences to get to see more of Belinda’s story.” While she didn’t give any hints as to what that story might be, Rothwell revealed that she’d been filming in Thailand for months and apparently hasn’t heard from her former co-star Coolidge yet.
“Jen was so amazing in season three and sent so many encouraging messages,” Rothwell says with a smile. “It’s so nice to feel the love.”
The first four episodes How to Die Alone It debuts on Hulu on September 13th, with new episodes every Friday. Learn more.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
