Natasha Rothwell knows this one necessity is 'bizarre': 'It's a bit of an oral fixation'
In a weekly series USA TODAY’s The Essentials, celebrities share what fuels their lives whether it's at home, on the set or on the road.
Natasha Rothwell's career continues to ascend.
Along with creating Hulu's comedy "How to Die Alone" (now streaming), Rothwell also stars as Melissa Jackson, an employee at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport who wishes her professional and personal life would take flight, but her fears of rejection keep her grounded.
"It was born out of a desire to see myself represented on screen in a new way," says Rothwell, known for roles on HBO's "The White Lotus" and "Insecure," "and I was just really drawn to exploring the intersection of loneliness and being alone and the difference between the two."
In her first leading role, a near-death experience on the eve of her 35th birthday emboldens Melissa — formerly too scared to board an airplane — to live a more mindful, adventurous life.
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Rothwell is revealing the necessities keeping her company, her "bizarre" must-have and spills on the new season of "The White Lotus" (well, as much as she can).
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Natasha Rothwell on Season 3 of 'The White Lotus': 'It was very, very hot'
Rothwell spent five months filming the third installment of "The White Lotus," slated to air in 2025. Rothwell appeared as spa manager Belinda Lindsey in the first season of the Mike White comedy and will co-star in the next chapter along with Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Scott Glenn, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan and Parker Posey.
"My Thailand essentials were sunscreen, it was very, very hot," Rothwell says. "Pad see ew, it was delicious. That's probably my blood type right now."
But she can't disclose much more, though she does still rely on the production assistants: "We're in a group chat. It's the best."
The 'non-stop laughs' provided by 'The Office'
"I have an embarrassing, perhaps cyclopedic knowledge of 'The Office,'" Rothwell admits of the NBC comedy (2005–2013). "I just love the show so much. I was reading something about anxiety and that people rewatch shows because they love them, but also because it's familiar and it's calming. And it's something I can turn on at any point, at any season and be relaxed and it helps soothe me a bit."
She describes Season 4's "Dinner Party" episode, when Michael (Steve Carell) hosts couples at his home, as "iconic."
"It is high comedy, and it's non-stop laughs," she says, adding she loves the slow-burning romance of Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer).
"I'm a rom-com girl and having two people who find each other at the wrong time and have that sort of Austenian longing in a modern setting, at least for the time, I just love it," Rothwell says. So much so that she said she had to "sit on my hands and bite my tongue" while working with "The Office" writer Halsted Sullivan, on "How to Die Alone," "because all I wanted was 'Office' gossip. But we had a job to do. So I had to put a pin in it."
Addictive true-crime documentaries
Like many people, including Kaley Cuoco, Rothwell is a fan of true-crime.
"I love being able to learn about psychology through these stories," she says. "As actors we study human behavior as a baseline requirement for the job, and nothing fascinates me more than people that do bad things. I'm a Libra so balance and justice are a part of my DNA."
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Natasha Rothwell's Goldendoodle, named for this classic '80s rom-com, is 'everything'
Rothwell's Goldendoodle, Lloyd Dobler, is a four-legged homage to John Cusack's boom box-hoisting character in "Say Anything."
"He's just everything," she says. "There's something pretty magical about dogs. I wanted one for a long time, and I moved to L.A. about eight years ago and was able to fulfill that dream."
Lloyd has a strong personality, she adds, and even attended the Los Angeles premiere of her new series on Sept. 4 wearing a tux.
"He just enjoys people," she says. "He very rarely barks. He's really content."
An admittedly 'bizarre' love for this sweet snack
"This is legit my favorite candy that befuddles people: I love Jordan almonds," she reveals.
It might be an unpopular opinion, but Rothwell does not care. "It's so bizarre," she says. "People are just like, 'What?'
"I'm a little neurospicy. So it's the texture I really enjoy, and it's a loud crunch. It takes a lot to get through, and so it's a bit of an oral fixation. It satiates that."