Michelle Monaghan's The White Lotus Role Is Long Overdue & Gives Her A Better Character Than Her HBO Hit 11 Years Ago

Michelle Monaghan's role in The White Lotus season 3 can make up for her disappointing character in another hit HBO series. The story of The White Lotus season 3 follows a new batch of characters who are visiting the White Lotus' Thailand resort. After the previous two seasons were set in Hawaii and Italy, respectively, The White Lotus season 3 has established that the Thailand resort is known for its wellness program. However, The White Lotus season 3, episode 1 teases that things will not end well for some of the characters.

In The White Lotus season 3, Monaghan plays Jaclyn, a famous actor who takes her childhood best friends Kate and Laurie on vacation. Since the White Lotus is a high-end chain of resorts, each season of the series has examined themes such as money and privilege. Since Jaclyn is a famous actor who clearly has some sense of power over her two friends, it seems like she will be one of the most important characters in The White Lotus season 3. Therefore, Monaghan's role in The White Lotus can make up for her underwhelming True Detective season 1 character.

Michelle Monaghan's Jaclyn Is Already One Of The Best Parts Of The White Lotus

Michelle Monaghan's White Lotus Character Could Start A Lot Of Drama

The beginning of The White Lotus season 3 teases a shootout that will take place at the end of the week. Currently, it doesn't seem like Jaclyn, Kate, and Laurie will be involved in the shootout, but they are still three of the most interesting characters in The White Lotus episode 1. While others characters, like Rick and Timothy, may have conflicts with outside forces in The White Lotus season 3, Jaclyn's main story will likely revolve around her two friends.

The poster for The White Lotus season 3 (2025) behind a skull and crossbones and a blacked-out mystery character

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The White Lotus season 3 has already set up the tension between Jaclyn, Kate, and Laurie. Since Jaclyn is paying for the trip, she has power over her two friends. However, it has been established that Kate is wealthy, as well. Therefore, Laurie is the odd one out. Laurie being left out, in addition to the fact that Kate keeps questioning Jaclyn about the plastic surgery she has gotten done, could lead to some very dramatic fights between the three friends. Therefore, Monaghan's character will likely be part of one of The White Lotus season 3's most intriguing ongoing storylines.

The White Lotus Gives Jaclyn A Better Role Than True Detective

Michelle Monaghan's True Detective Character Was Underwritten

11 years before The White Lotus season 3, Monaghan starred in True Detective season 1, which was another major hit for HBO. True Detective season 1 follows detectives Rust Cohle and Marty Hart, and Monaghan plays Maggie, Marty's wife. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson's performances and its eerie crime story led to stellar reviews for True Detective season 1. However, it is clear that not much effort was put into developing Monaghan's character in the show.

True Detective, specifically the earlier seasons, has faced a lot of criticism for its handling of female characters.

Since Marty is having an affair in True Detective season 1, Monaghan is forced to portray Maggie as an angry wife, which is a stereotype that is all-too-common in television shows. Monaghan's performance in True Detective is not bad by any means, but her character is clearly underwritten. In fact, True Detective, specifically the earlier seasons, has faced a lot of criticism for its handling of female characters. However,The White Lotus does not have this problem at all, as the female characters in the series have all been very well-developed.

Michelle Monaghan's Other Movies & TV Shows Since True Detective

Michelle Monagahan Has Had A Successful Career

In between True Detective and The White Lotus, Monaghan starred in several television shows. Monaghan has had leading roles in shows like The Path, Messiah, Echoes, and Bad Monkey. Out of these shows, The Path ran for the longest. The Path is about a fictional religion and ran for three seasons on Hulu before its cancelation. Just last year, Monaghan also starred in Bad Monkey, a Vince Vaughn-led comedy drama series which premiered on Apple TV+.

Michelle Monaghan's Notable TV Shows	Character	# of Episodes
True Detective	Maggie Hart	8
The Path	Sarah Lane	36
Messiah	Eva Geller	10
Echoes	Leni and Gina McCleary	7
Bad Monkey	Bonnie Witt/Plover Chase	10
The White Lotus	Jaclyn	TBD

In addition to the aforementioned shows, Monaghan has also starred in several movies between True Detective and The White Lotus. Most notably, she reprised her role in the Mission: Impossible franchise for 2018's Mission: Impossible - Fallout, which is the highest-rated entry in the long-running spy series. Just last year, she also starred in MaXXXine, the final film in director Ti West's trilogy of horror movies. Even though Monaghan has had a very successful career, her character in The White Lotus season 3 is probably her most exciting role in years.