Exclusive | Michelle Monaghan on the women and scandals of The White Lotus Season 3

Spring is in the air, or hinting at it, anyway.But our cover model today is glad to be a little chilly after spending months in a Thai heat wave.Michelle Monaghan, one of the stars of the new season of “The White Lotus,” joins me on Zoom looking like she walked straight out of the ’90s.

Her structured leather jacket, complete with neck flap, is a thing of grunge-inspired beauty.“It’s a bit of a Cinderella moment,” she says.

If Cinderella was a biker.Or Monaghan’s “White Lotus” co-star Parker Posey, a real-life ’90s indie queen. “She’s one of the most thoughtful, soulful women,” Monaghan raves of Posey.

“She’s sage.She gives wise advice.

She’s ethereal, but she’s grounded.I always call her a little bit of a witch, you know? I’d come over and knock on her door and she’d just have all of these kinds of lotions and potions.

She’s like, ‘Come in here, try this, smell this.’ She was an incredible person to have on set, because she is so beloved by actors, and for the way that she takes up her space.It’s like an acting class, you know, the way that she improvs and she interacts with props.

She’s just an amazing actress.”The shout-out to Posey and other women in Monaghan’s life will be a recurring theme in our conversation.It’s a real sisterhood move, one that couldn’t be more at odds with her toxic female trio in “The White Lotus.”Monaghan is part of the stellar ensemble cast in the hit HBO show’s third season, whose fifth episode just aired.

“I’m as much a fan as anyone else,” she says, adding that she’s long been an admirer of creator Mike White’s spiritual insights.“He’s a great observer of human behavior,” she reflects.“He sees everything and everyone.

You know everything that he writes really comes from a place of authenticity.”For devoted viewers, Monaghan teases a reveal that’s coming down the pike.“I think as we progress through the season, people are going to be shocked...