Natasha Rothwell doesn’t want to disappoint you

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Natasha Rothwell’s characters in “The White Lotus,” “Insecure” and “How to Die Alone” all have one thing in common – the desire to be seen.

“Because I just wanna be seen,” Rothwell told CNN in a recent interview. “I grew up in this body, a plus-size Black woman, and I didn’t see myself represented in a lot of film and television. And what’s interesting is that as much as I want to be seen, it’s a very scary to be seen.”

Likely too late now, as viewers have fallen in love with Rothwell’s talent.

Playing scene-stealing bff Kelly in “Insecure” made Rothwell famous, but her career really took off after she portrayed spa manager Belinda in the hit dark comedy series, “The White Lotus.”

She has used her increased currency in Hollywood for her latest project, Hulu’s “How to Die Alone,” which she created and stars in. Rothwell plays Melissa, an airport employee who just can’t seem to catch a break and decides to completely change her life after narrowly averting a tragedy.

It took seven years for her to bring the comedy to fruition. Rothwell said the character represents “the version of me that I didn’t really give grace to.”

“A person who, in spite of all of her best efforts, still felt like she was not enough,” she said. “So in writing her and in wearing her as a character, it is an opportunity for me to have grace with myself and hopefully encourage others to view themselves the same way.”

Creating such a deeply personal character has been meaningful to Rothwell.

“It’s reminiscent almost because it was just like every aspect of her that is questionable or, not thinking clearly or impulsive, those are all things that are very familiar to me,” she said. “To be able to express that time in my life, when I was confused and lost in a way, that will inspire hope has been really beautiful and healing really.”

The character and series already seem to be resonating with audiences.

Rothwell recently attended a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Atlanta and said she was thrilled with how she was received by fans who spotted her.

“It was the first time that I was sort of approached by so many people about ‘How to Die Alone.’ I get [called “Insecure” character] Kelly all the time, I get ‘Insecure’ all the time. I get ‘White Lotus,’” she said. “But people were like talking about the show and it was frankly very emotional. We were walking on like the sports track around the arena and people were in the stands, shouting my name, not Kelly. They were saying Natasha. And when I got in the car afterwards, I was just sobbing because I think it’s been a long time coming.”

She said she doesn’t want to let either her longtime or new found fans down, which is why she works so hard at all she does. Rothwell is also very aware that people are excited for the next season of “The White Lotus.”

She’s one of the few cast members from the original season who will return for season three, which she said she loved filming for five months on location in Thailand. While Rothwell said people have tried to “shake me down” for information on the new season, the entire cast and those connected from the show know to stay mum.

“I signed away my life,” she said jokingly about not being able to discuss the third season. “None of us knew what [“White Lotus”] was going to become, especially me. And so to have my character be able to come back in this season, exploring her more deeply, it really is exciting to me because I think there was so much to her that we didn’t get to.”

“How to Die Alone” is streaming on Hulu. “Insecure” and the first two seasons of “The White Lotus” are streaming on Max, which is owned by CNN’s parent company.

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