Michelle Monaghan on Her Character’s ‘White Lotus’ Drama and the Jaw-Dropping Finale (2025)

When Michelle Monaghan read the script for the first episode of The White Lotus season 3, her initial reaction was, “Oh, gosh. Shit, man. She’s an actress.” Her character, Erewhon tote-carrying television diva Jaclyn Lemon, felt a little too close to home. But as she read on, digging deeper into Jaclyn’s “neuroses” and “psyche,” the role became all the more clear—and distinct from herself. “I wanted her to enter a room with a lot of drama, and I wanted her to leave the room with a lot of drama—and that’s how she left last week’s episode, with a lot of drama, apparently,” Monaghan says with a laugh. Jaclyn flits around in itty-bitty, sequin-covered minidresses, seems perpetually in pursuit of external validation, and will engage in judgmental gossip at the drop of a name. Monaghan even suggested Jaclyn wear comedy and tragedy earrings in the first episode because “obviously, that’s who Jaclyn is.”

Monaghan, on the other hand, opened our conversation by nerding out about journalism (she studied the subject in college); took any opportunity to gush over the “ethereal” Parker Posey and “brilliant” Mike White (creator, writer, and director of The White Lotus); and, while expressing pride in her achievements, credited her two kids, Willow and Tommy, and husband, Peter White, because she is “nothing without them.” Her face lights up with anticipation of each question, and she answers with great honesty, getting candid about her experience with skin cancer, sun damage, and life in her 40s. Like Jaclyn, she loves to dance, but unlike Jaclyn, she’s a “night in dancing kind of gal.” Her hubby plays DJ as their family has “a little boogie” by the fire—a bumping nightclub in Phuket, Thailand, with three Russian men she just met is not Monaghan’s scene. Her look for the day—a tailored black suit with a lacy bralette peeking through and rosy, natural-looking glam—encapsulates her vibe: polished, effortless, clean beauty. “I’m more of a minimalist,” she says. Though, she wants maximum benefits when it comes to her self-care routine: Ever since being diagnosed with melanoma in 2011, Monaghan has become extra cautious about what goes on her skin. Such makes her a perfect pick forU Beauty’sfirst ambassador. The sleek, science-backed skincare brand has made Monaghan the face of its “Meet U in Your Moment” campaign, because she is undeniably having one right now.

Ahead, Monaghan spills the secret to her glowing skin, what she really thinks of Jaclyn, why The White Lotus season 3 theme song is indeed a bop, and what viewers can expect from the finale.

You are U Beauty’s first ambassador and this is your first beauty contract. Why did this partnership feel right, and what does it mean to you?

I'm so grateful to be partnering with U Beauty. It felt like the right time for me, professionally and personally. I had been using U Beauty products prior to them even reaching out. I'd been working on a film set, complaining to a makeup artist that I had these sun spots, sun damage, dark spots, hormonal acne, and she was like, “You should try this product. Have you ever heard of U Beauty?” She gave me the Resurfacing Compound, and about a week after using it, I noticed, first and foremost, my pores had been reduced. The texture of my skin had improved, and it was noticeably brighter. In addition, she gave me this Return Eye Concentrate, which is honestly the best eye cream I've ever used—I generally have a lot of allergic reactions to various eye creams. When they called, I was like, “Wait, I use the product. It’s in my bathroom.” It feels like a wonderful partnership and also reflects who I am in terms of my approach to beauty and my skin-care routine. I'm more of a minimalist when it comes to beauty, and a lot of their products are multifunctional. It's minimal in routine, but you get maximum benefit.

What is your holy grail U Beauty product, and why?

It's the Resurfacing Compound, for sure. I use that religiously. It does the job of, like, eight different products. Prior to the Resurfacing Compound, I was using retinol, a vitamin C serum, a Hyaluronic toner, all these different things. The Resurfacing Compound is basically all those things in one. To be able to simplify my routine was critical for me, just saving time. Also, I always have to mention this one because I feel like it's such a sleeper: the Super Body Hydrator. I love it. I always joke that I haven't worn moisturizer since 1994, and when I started using it, I just became completely addicted to it.

The campaign is all about taking in moments, and you have a powerful quote: “I'll never stop redefining who I am.” How would you define yourself in this moment of your life?

I would classify myself as very fortunate. I feel very empowered. I feel really excited. I've been doing this for 25 years, and in any career, there is a natural ebb and a natural flow. Over the years, navigating a career and also maintaining a family has been challenging. I feel so grateful to be in flow right now, to be able to share these moments in terms of my career, creatively what I'm doing, and personally seeing my family thriving. Our daughter is 16, our son is 11. I have a lot of pride in where I'm at and where we are, collectively as a family, because I'm nothing without them.

You’ve been quite vocal about your skin cancer journey and advocacy. How did skin cancer change your relationship with beauty?

It gave me a complete 180. Being diagnosed with melanoma was a huge wake-up call for me in terms of really taking responsibility for my health—what I was putting on my skin, educating myself about skin cancer, the dangers of the sun, and ingredient safety. It also coincided with me becoming a mom. Inherently, when you become a parent, from the time that you realize you're pregnant, you're immediately thinking of this other little thing. I was very fortunate that I was conscious about what I was putting onto my skin putting into my body and how my education and my awareness would impact not just my health but my children's health, as well. Being an advocate for skin cancer awareness is something I'm very proud of. I have a big platform, and I really value being able to use it to spread knowledge and sun-sense, as I like to call it, because there is a lack of it out there. We talk so much about beauty within our industry as women, and the number one thing that we can collectively do is all agree that wearing SPF is the best defense we have against aging. That's really the fundamental conversation that everybody needs to be having.

Let’s get into The White Lotus. Aimee Lou Wood described being cast in the show as an “actor’s dream.” How would you describe this opportunity? How did it change you as a person?

It’s an actor's dream because Mike White is someone that every creative respects, certainly every actor. He's a master of tone, and the characters he writes walk a very fine line. It's all such great, juicy fodder to creatively tap into. It's an opportunity to go dark and to go comedic. You're not just doing it with the writer, you're doing it with someone like Mike, who's first and foremost, an actor. You get to be able to lean in with somebody as talented and as specific as he is. And he's so brilliant at casting. He's written these great characters that we all love so much, and then he casts what seems like a bunch of random actors who are all talented, but you put them all together in a room, and he just knows the secret sauce. It does change you because it allows you the opportunity to stretch your muscles and your range. Artistically driven, it's the opportunity of a lifetime, and as a person, I'm someone who revels in traveling, having adventures, and meeting new people. I'm a curious person. It's one of the great privileges that this career has afforded me. I got to have this experience in Thailand, which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to and I got to do it with my family, as well. I reflect on the creative experience in such a positive way, but getting to share that experience with my kiddos and my husband was the true highlight.

What’s your favorite memory on set?

The night shoots, where we all did the dinner scenes. We never talked about it while we were doing it, but after the fact, we're all like, “Oh, my God, we were in the iconic dinner scenes,” which is what we've grown to love about the series. There’s this table having this drama, and then the camera moves over to this ensemble. What's so fun about the show, and now being able to watch it, is the storylines are oftentimes very separate. Even though we bonded all together for six or seven months—we lived, we ate, we breathed, we worked out together—I didn't necessarily know creatively what was going on at each individual table. Getting to see everyone's performance is a true joy. And then, absolutely, the pool scene because it's such an iconic thing. Everybody getting wasted and jumping into the pool, that's so White Lotus.

Who were you most excited to work and cohabitate with?

Parker Posey! She hangs the moon for me. She's someone that I've respected as an actress since the 90s. She's my indie queen, and I got to live with her. She's just such a unique person. She's full of wisdom, funny, and ethereal, but then grounded and with no filter, I just worship the ground she walks on.

Fans are not happy with Jaclyn after this past episode, calling her “that friend” and not a girl’s girl. Viewers see Jaclyn’s behavior as a major betrayal to Laurie and to her husband. How did you view Jaclyn’s behavior?

An actor will tell you that they never judge their character. Mike and I had this feeling that Jaclyn and her husband were not necessarily in a monogamous relationship. The feeling was Jaclyn was really sincere and authentic about wanting Laurie to have this fling with Valentin. What do I say? “He's a fling kind of guy, I can tell.” But I don't think Jaclyn was intentional. I don't think she was doing anything malicious or manipulative. I think that she really wanted Laurie to have some fun. And I think, unfortunately, Jaclyn wasn't getting the validation that she needs, for better or for worse, and she went in search of it and she got it at the end of the night. She just thought, “Okay, well, I’ll have fun. If nobody’s taking him, I'll give him a call.” We'll see how that pans out for her the following day, but there might be a little bit of a walk of shame. Look how quickly things change. Like everybody loved Jacqueline last week. That's what's so much fun about what Mike White does. He's so brilliant at pacing and finding every character's shining moments and dark moments. You're rooting for them at one moment, and then you're like Who are they? next. He gets you invested in all the characters and all the dynamics, and then he pulls the rug out from everybody.

So you're a Jaclyn defender?

Well, I'm not gonna say I'm a Jaclyn defender. I'm just saying I'm not gonna give you any spoilers.

This season asks us to think about female friendships. There is truth to the pettiness and gossip seen among these women, but there’s always more below the surface. What were you hoping to communicate?

I think what Mike was trying to do in exploring this dynamic, which I love, is female friendships and the judgment that we've been socially conditioned to have on ourselves. When we judge ourselves so critically and put unrealistic expectations on ourselves, we ultimately end up judging our friends and those who are closest to us. What I thought was interesting is really understanding and putting a mirror up to ourselves and saying, “Okay, are we perpetuating that or are we enduring that? What can we do to flip that narrative?” And just trying to remind each other to celebrate ourselves, to celebrate all of our friendships, and to celebrate who we are. People grow differently, and that's okay, too, because we're all individuals, and we all have different life experiences. We all have to know that life evolves, and maintaining a real friendship means maintaining respect for one another.

When you, Leslie, and Carrie unpack the episode, you talk about the characters’ dynamic “feeling like high school again.” Throwing it back to East Buchanan High School class of 1994, what were you like?

My gosh. I was a really good student. I had a long-term boyfriend, and I was excited about going to college. I was gearing up to go to college in Chicago to study journalism—that was my dream—and I was modeling on the side to make my tuition. I was modeling for Montgomery Ward and Target. I've still got my best friends from high school.

Kate says to you in one of the first episodes, “It’s not a midlife crisis trip, it’s a victory tour.” What’s your victory tour?

Right now, sister! This moment in time feels like a victory. It is not like I've won something or I've won at life, but I certainly feel like my journey as a woman, as a mom, as a wife, and as someone who's worked really hard in my career is worth celebrating. We all need to celebrate that in each other because it's hard out there; it's a struggle.

Mike loves going meta. What was it like playing a Hollywood actress as a Hollywood actress?

Actually daunting as hell. I remember reading the first episode, and I was like, “Oh gosh. Shit, man. She's an actress. That feels a little close to the bone. How do I launch into that?” And then, as you read the whole arc of the show, she's very specific. It was really fun working with Mike to develop her neuroses, the psyche of who she is, and what are the things that we wanted to showcase in the show. Like, what did we want to make really cliche or really cringe? That was one of the most creatively satisfying things: getting to work with Mike on all the layers.

In the most recent episode, Jaclyn wears this fierce leopard print bikini. What did you think of Jaclyn’s wardrobe?

I loved Jaclyn’s wardrobe. I thought it was fantastic. I loved specifically the Valentino pieces. There was a really sparkly dress. I think it was episode two, and I don't wear short things in life in general. It took me a lot out of my comfort zone. But it was inspired by (her spirit animal) the butterfly. A lot of her things are very flowy and flitty, like her cover-ups. I wanted her to enter a room with a lot of drama, and I wanted her to leave the room with a lot of drama. That's how she left last week's episode, apparently. And then, boy, the bathing suits. We tried on a lot of bathing suits. It's all about the swimwear on that show. I had a beautiful red one-piece, which was great, and a couple of bathing suits by the brand SAME. And then I spied a pair of Loewe men's shorts that I was like, “I think she would have those.” She had a really nice selection of designer pieces and luxury brands, and then we tried to mix in a little bit of high-low with some vintage pieces as well.

People were up in arms about the theme song changing.

The theme song is killing it, right? Do people love it now or what?

I think it's a bop.

What's a bop? Like, what? I don't know anything about anything. It's so embarrassing. But no, it's a jam. Like, it's so good. Didn't the same thing happen with the second season because they changed it? I think it's so beautiful. I love this theme song the most.

I see a lot of symbolism in the threes, your trio being the most obvious. Can you describe the finale in three words?

Super emotional, unexpected, and rewarding. But not in the way that you think it's rewarding, but you'll be satisfied. The audience will be satisfied.