** The White Lotus spoilers incoming **
Michelle Monaghan's Jaclyn, the ringleader of the ‘toxic trio’ of girlfriends in this season’s The White Lotus is arguably one of the stand out performances of the hit HBO show. Portraying a 40-something famous Hollywood actor who has whisked her two childhood friends, Kate (Leslie Bibb) and Laurie (Carrie Coon) for a girly vacay to Thailand that rapidly devolves into all too familiar toxic power dynamics amongst female friends, Michelle is brilliant. The three women, reunited from different corners of the States find themselves practicing yoga, guzzling cocktails poolside, flirting with their Russian ‘wellness butler’ Valentin and bitching behind each others’ backs as only long-term female friends can and (sadly) often do. It’s an uncomfortable watch, because the bitching and backstabbing can seem all too familiar. Five episodes into this season’s 8-part season, Michelle sits down with GLAMOUR to talk living in Thailand for 7 months, working out with her castmates, her new skincare partnership with U Beauty and why she believes the patriarchy is to blame for women’s tendency to compare - and sometimes revel - in each others short-comings.
Tell us about living in Thailand, where you spent seven months filming The White Lotus.
Yes! It was incredible. It was such an experience of a lifetime, just obviously creatively, artistically, but personally, it was also deeply special. My family came out and shared much of the experience with me. We did a lot of travelling and took up diving, and so that was sort of a little adventure that I got to share with them.
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I read that in your downtime, you and Carrie (Coon) and Leslie (Bibb) would do water aerobics together?
I am so into water aerobics thanks to Ms. Leslie Bibb. It's a workout that she swears by, and of course, we were in Thailand, and we were staying at the beautiful Four Seasons there, which every villa has a very large pool.
Leslie would teach us, she would tell us the moves that we were going to do, and we would run lines and talk about each scene, and have our own little gossip session, and all over water aerobics and getting our workout in. It was just a lovely, fun way to bond…
I will say, it was a very active cast, a very athletic cast. We would oftentimes see each other in the gym. That was very much a part of all of our routines. It was always fun.
I think that's what made it such a bonding experience. We sincerely ate, worked, lived, shared our entire lives with each other for seven months.
Here's EYNTK about the new season of the hilarious black comedy.
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Who was the most fun on set?
I think the most fun on set would be Parker Posey for sure. She just acts with such abandon. She's really fully present and not at all self-conscious, and really embodies character. Obviously, that's no surprise. We've seen her body of work. My only complaint is that I didn't have enough scenes with her, in the company of her, because as you know, it's very much an ensemble and the storylines are oftentimes separate.
I would always just want to lean in just so I could hear what was going on and see what Parker was doing, because I would hear everybody laughing in between takes. I just knew her personally, I got to live with her, so I respect her so much.
Would her character's Southern drawl accent stay after the cameras had stopped rolling?
Oh, no, no. In fact, I had no idea she had a southern accent. She's not method in that regard in terms of her process. I knew that they were a family from the south, and sort of didn't have any other indication that I just didn't think about it, to be honest. I never heard... Jason [Isaacs] would speak with a southern accent every now and then in between takes, so I knew, but I wasn't aware of Parker's accent. It's so fabulous. I can't get away from it now. I love it. I think that's one of the joys of the show and something that I didn't really anticipate was just how interactive the show is and how vocal and viral the fan base is with the show. It's really a cultural phenomenon… I've been in this business for 25 years, and I've never been a part of a project this sort of unprecedented in terms of its universal love.
You and Laurie and Kate are, in my humble opinion, the best things about this season! You have been labelled the ‘toxic trio’, but while the bitching and the backstabbing is toxic, it's also quite triggering because it can be quite relatable?
Yes, absolutely. I think that's why Mike (White) is exploring it this season. It was triggering for all of us. Specifically as women reading for this first time, because you're like, "Oh, wow. I know people like this. I have friend groups like this." The conversation can very quickly devolve, and that's not to say all friend groups are like that. I think it's important to note that women have lots of different kinds of friends. Sometimes you lean into that and sometimes you don't.
I think what Mike wanted to really touch on and explore is the way in which we're kind of socially conditioned to judge ourselves as a result. Just putting so much pressure on ourselves, and being so self-critical, we ultimately, inevitably judge one another for their successes or our own failures. To me, that's just so sad, but it is a reality, and I think that he puts a mirror up to us, and not just in our storyline, but I think that's the genius of Mike White in every character.
He puts a mirror up to you and says, "Okay, well, what's your responsibility in this? Why do you endure this? Why do you endure this behaviour, or how do you perpetuate it?" I think as a result, it is triggering, because it's confronting and it's vulnerable. There's something very intimate about the ladies' relationship as well, specifically because I think one of Mike's strengths is obviously his extraordinary writing, but I think one of his that he does with great confidence is the nonverbal. Allowing for people just to sit with a pregnant pause, and to give a look, and to take a breath, and to process something. It's very relatable and familiar, because that is real life.
What I think I was most interested in, is why women in particular behave like this and feel this need to almost validate themselves through comparison with their peers. I think that is unique to women. Do you think that's true?
It is. We live in a patriarchal society, and there is no other way around it. We have limited opportunities as women, and so there is this natural competitiveness. Amongst women, I think, that we've been conditioned to be competitive. It's a reality for us. We have fewer opportunities. We are judged by men and women for having this or not having that, doing this or not doing that. I could never say it any better, or with any more clarity, or be any more articulate than good old-fashioned Margot Robbie in Barbie and the terrific monologue…
The grass is always greener, I think, for women. I just don't think that men have that. It's a privilege that men don't have to look at that. I rarely hear men having these conversations, or these issues, or these insecurities, or these fears, or these comparisons. I think it is very unique to women because of the state of the world.
Thank you, Mike White, for a lesson in how not to behave with your girlfriends.
I completely agree. Was there anything that you learned about yourself through playing Jaclyn?
Well, again, as I was saying, this relationship is not completely unlike toxic relationships or that kind of toxic positivity that we've all experienced as women. Again, it made me hold a mirror up to myself, going, "Oh, gosh, am I gossiping? Am I perpetuating this? No, this is disrespectful, this isn't how I would want to be treated." Being able to see it, I think, and to obviously embody that is intense. I think to watch it back, you go, "Oh, gosh, yes." This is something that resonates, and it's very relevant for sure.
We've just seen in the last episode, Jaclyn betraying Laurie by sleeping with Valentin, what do you think was her motivation there?
Well, it's funny. It's really interesting, because I really don't perceive it as a betrayal. Listen, I think an actor, you've heard this a thousand times, actors don't judge their characters. Again, it's very triggering for some people. I think Jaclyn has always been really authentic and sincere in the sense that she really wanted Laurie to hook up with Valentin. Like, this is the perfect... He's single. You're single.
I think she really was excited for Laurie to do that. I think simultaneously, what was happening is Jaclyn was getting a little bored. She has a lot of energy, she likes stimulation, she needs that external validation for better or for worse. I think she was feeling a little ignored at home. I think she went out to just have a good time and just create that fun, to create that energy. I think they had a wonderful time at the club, just letting it loose.
She went back and I think she thought, oh, gosh, all right, well, nobody hooked up. I guess maybe I will. I guess I'll have some fun. I don't think she meant any harm. I don't think it was malicious, or manipulative, or intentional. I think it was a very impulsive decision. I think Jaclyn is an impulsive person. She kind of hit the fuck it button, and I think she's probably excited to tell the ladies about it the following morning.
The actor, who plays Piper Ratliff on the HBO series, opens up about playing Parker Posey’s daughter, her cumbersome double name, and more.
You’ve recently collaborated with U Beauty. Obviously, you're a survivor of skin cancer, so why is it so important for you to partner with a skincare brand?
Well, when I was diagnosed with melanoma [in 2007], it was a huge turning point in my life. At that point prior to, I hadn't really considered the kinds of ingredients that I was putting on my skin. I certainly wasn't protecting it from the sun. I really lacked a lot of awareness specifically around the dangers of the sun and skin cancer, and also lacked knowledge about just ingredient safety as well.
That was something that was a huge catalyst for me doing a deep dive into all things skin cancer related, and becoming an advocate, and really trying to share the wealth of knowledge that I had gained in really trying to build awareness around a health issue that affects millions of people…
I actually started using U Beauty, I started using their resurfacing compound as a result of being on a film. I was working with a makeup artist, and I was talking to her about my actual sunspots, my skin damage, my sun damage, that cumulative damage that you acquire. I was just saying I wanted to have a little extra coverage to cover up some of my sunspots. She said to me a day or two later, “Have you ever heard of this product? I think you might like it.”…It was probably about six months after I was using that product that they had actually called. It was unbeknownst to them that I was even using the products, and they were looking for their first brand ambassador.
They said, "Would you like to have a conversation?" I said, "Well, you're in my bathroom, so yeah, let's have a conversation." It was just wonderful, because I'd already loved their products and specifically because they are, it is patented technology, there are clinical trials. I'm a bit of a science geek in that regard. It just felt like it was a very organic and authentic.
Eat the rich… and also stay in their hotels.
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When do you feel the most empowered?
It really empowers me to say no. Because it's not always an easy thing to do, and it penalises women. That kind of goes back to lack of opportunities here and there. Having my own agency over myself, my decisions, feeling very much in control and being able to advocate for myself or for others is incredibly empowering.
Finally, where do you think the next White Lotus should be filmed?
I have so many ideas! I would love to see the guests of the White Lotus maybe go to Africa on a safari. That would be a very expensive production. I don't know how HBO would fare with that, but that would just be so much fun to see that scenario. Also, Scandinavia, I just feel like it's a part of the world, it's just so beautiful and kind of austere, but Narnia-like. I think it would just be a stunning backdrop for our guests.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
**The White Lotus season 3 is currently streaming on NOW/Sky Atlantic **
