Michelle Monaghan Has Revealed the Surprising Inspiration Behind Her White Lotus Character
The White Lotus continues to make headlines, with the HBO show's highly-anticipated fourth season officially in the works.
However, despite the confirmed S4 location and rumoured castings, it is still season three that gets the world talking the most, with its A-list names from Aimee Lou Wood to Jason Isaacs still speaking about it.
It was Michelle Monaghan who made headlines this week, with the actress starring in the HBO show's third season as famous actress, Jaclyn Lemon.
Monaghan, 49, received critical acclaim for her performance, even earning an Emmy award nomination for her portrayal of Lemon. However, according to the star, she initially had her reservations about the role - something she opened up about in a recent interview with Newsweek.
"I was actually really nervous to play Jaclyn Lemon," she recalled, explaining her fears that it felt too "close to the bone", with Monaghan and Lemon both being actors. "This is what I do," she stated. "And I had a great deal of fear around making it too cliche."
Monaghan found success however with animal symbolism, with the actress revealing the surprising inspiration behind her White Lotus character.
"Sometimes in my roles ... I use animal symbolism," Monaghan explained to the publication. "I've used it a few times for inspiration because I was really looking for it beyond what was on the page.
"For me, [Jaclyn Lemon] was a butterfly," she continued. "And so, I try to use a lot of butterfly behaviour."
This, Monaghan explained, could be visible in her character's floaty wardrobe, but crucially in her chaotic and fragile energy.
"She comes in, she creates a flutter, a little chaos," Monaghan recalled. "Also, butterflies are short-lived. And I liked the idea of tying that into her fear of being an actor and feeling like maybe her career was going to be short-lived. And so that was something that actually gave me a lot of inspiration for finding layers and inwardly. And also the way that she kind of presents herself to the world."
The White Lotus season three is available to watch now.
