How Michelle Monaghan Found The Honey Blonde That Secured Her Stay At ‘The White Lotus’

Jaclyn may be a bad friend, but she has *great* hair

There are two types of The White Lotus watchers in this world: the ones analysing the characters’ actions, and the ones analysing the characters’ hair.

We don’t think we need to tell you which kind we are. Because yes, we are absolutely about to break down Jaclyn Lemon (Michelle Monaghan)’s exact shade of blonde and completely ignore the fact that she’s an extremely flawed friend. Sometimes good hair happens to bad travel buddies, you know?

Now as any pre-Lotus Michelle Monaghan fan will know, the stunning actress usually showcases a glossy shade of rich brunette. But as she specified in an Instagram post, the colour change wasn’t the most drastic move she was willing to make for The White Lotus director/mastermind Mike White…

“When I first booked the gig, Mike White asked me if I would go blonde’. Uh…YES! I’d shave my head for that man!”, she shared.

So what was the reason for the shade switch-up? And how did she secure the stunning honey hue that became Jaclyn’s signature? Let’s dig into the details…

‘The Big Blonde Blob’

The difference between this hair colour change and most that are made for a television show? Mike actually wanted the characters to look more alike. This wasn’t a ‘Serena van der Woodsen is already blonde, so Blair Waldorf needs to be brunette’ situation. In fact, Michelle noted that Mike “wanted the ladies to be “a big blonde blob”.”

“He wanted us to convey the look of sameness – an interchangeable trio of sorts prior to discovering the nuances of each character as the season progresses”, she explained. So if you found yourself trying to explain either Michelle, Carrie Coon or Leslie Bibb’s characters as ‘the blonde one’ only to confuse both yourself and fellow viewers, you weren’t alone. But you did fall right into Mike’s intended trap!

Michelle Monaghan blonde hair

“Going blonde was wonderful creative inspiration for me but I’d need an epic colorist to make those locks a reality. Enter the queen @traceycunningham1 (thanks for the intro @mslesliebibb 😙)”, Monaghan added in her Instagram caption, shouting out both the incredible colourist behind the shade switch, and co-star Leslie (AKA Kate, you know, the blonde one) for setting them up.

It’s worth noting that Jaclyn is notably ‘less’ blonde than her two creamy-haired cohorts. It wasn’t a ‘one shade fits all’ style scenario – Mike White was still open to tailoring the shade to her features.

“I easily deferred to [expert hair colourist] Tracey [Cunningham]’s expertise”, Michelle added. “She and her incredible assistants meticulously perfected the colour over the course of a few eight hour sessions.”

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A post shared by Michelle Monaghan (@michellemonaghan)

“She asked me, “What kind of blonde did you want to be?”. And Mike had said, “I want you to be whatever your ideal version of a blonde is, whatever works for your skin tone and eye colour””, Michelle explained in a conversation with ELLE. “Tracey is a bit of a unicorn because she has her processes. It can take 48 hours. She will say, “Okay, we are going to do it up to this point. Then, we will let your hair settle.” She will pick a piece here and there, and perfect it.”

Michelle didn’t try to hide the need for maintenance, either. “Tracey maintained the color and the roots the entire six months we were in Thailand, making multiple trips to keep that mane oh so Jaclyn (and oh so healthy – thank you @olaplex). I’m so thankful to her, and her team, because let’s be honest, blondes absolutely do have more fun.”

‘Oh so healthy’ is exactly how any blonde wants to hear their hair described. For that very reason, we advise stocking up on the Olaplex No3 Hair Perfector ($54 at Adore Beauty) to keep your bleached hair as strong, smooth and shiny as possible. Jaclyn is the inspiration here, remember: we want to look luxe!

Another aspect of Jaclyn’s look that was new for Michelle? The fake tan.

“I loved it. With the fake bake and blonde hair, she’s kind of fancy”, the actress shared with ELLE re: Jaclyn’s aesthetic. “It just felt like a real departure from who I was. Every Sunday, I applied the fake tan. I would then have to walk around my room in my skivvies. Because it was so humid, I’d be walking around, learning my lines for the week, because the tan would take a while to dry. It looked great, but it was a lot of work for six months.”

Michelle may not be down to commit to the weekly marination session or the constant upkeep that comes with lighter locks in her real life, but Jaclyn’s look will go down in The White Lotus beauty history nonetheless. And we truly appreciate every minute of fake-tanning and foiling that went into it.

Image credits: HBO Max/The White Lotus

Have you been watching The White Lotus? Are you inspired by any of the ladies’ hair looks?