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Aimee Lou Wood

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Aimee Lou Wood
Wood in 2023
Born (1994-02-03) 3 February 1994 (age 31)
Stockport, Greater Manchester, England
EducationRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (BA)
OccupationActress
Years active2016–present

Aimee Lou Wood (born 3 February 1994)[1][2] is an English actress. After beginning her career on stage, she won the BAFTA for Best Female Comedy Performance for starring in the Netflix comedy series Sex Education (2019–2023). She raised her profile with the films The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021) and Living (2022), and the stage productions Uncle Vanya (2020) and Cabaret (2023). Her continued television roles include the BBC comedy series Daddy Issues (2024–present) and the HBO anthology The White Lotus (2025).

Early life and education

[edit]

Aimee Lou Wood was born in 1994 in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and grew up in Bramhall.[3] Her mother works for Childline and her father is a car dealer.[4][5] Her sister Emily Wood is a makeup artist.[6]

Following their parents' divorce, Wood attended Cheadle Hulme School.[7] She then took a foundation course at the Oxford School of Drama,[8] and went on to graduate with a bachelor of arts in Acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2017.[9]

Career

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Wood began her professional acting career in 2016 by working on stage productions, making her debut as a handmaiden in the play Mary Stuart,[10] performed at the Almeida Theatre in London until 2017.[11] Following this, she starred as Laura in the production People, Places and Things, a role that was performed numerous times by Wood on a tour across the UK.[12]

In 2019, Wood made her screen debut as Aimee Gibbs, a main character in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education, where she co-starred alongside Asa Butterfield, Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa, and Gillian Anderson.[13][14] She had originally auditioned for the part of Lily Inglehart, which was ultimately given to Tanya Reynolds,[9][13] but accepted the role of Aimee when she was offered it. The series went on to receive critical acclaim,[15][16] and Wood's performance earned praise.[17] At the 2021 British Academy Television Awards, she won the British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance,[18] which is both her first accolade and her first award received from a major association;[19][20] she earned another nomination for the award at the 2022 British Academy Television Awards. Amidst her work on Sex Education, Wood has continued to take roles in theatre, reasoning, "I know a lot of screen actors who think they left it too long to go back on stage and now they have really bad stage fright."[21]

Wood (second from left) performing in the 2020 play Uncle Vanya

In 2020, Wood played Jess in "Hen", a short film directed by James Larkin.[22] That same year, she was cast as Sonya Serebryakova in Uncle Vanya,[23] which was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Harold Pinter Theatre, and obtained both a cinematic release and a BBC national release in the same year.[24][25] the production and Wood's performance were lauded by critics. Of her portrayal of Sonya, WhatsOnStage wrote, "she is a glorious, kind, gentle girl ... Her attempts at cheerfulness in the face of so much crushing disappointment are almost unbearable. [Wood] positively shines."[26] Wood narrated an audiobook of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, released 3 September 2020 by Penguin Audio.

In 2021, Wood joined the jury of the British Short Film Awards and announced the winner later that year.[27] She made her feature-film debut as Claire Wain in the 2021 biographical film The Electrical Life of Louis Wain,[28][29] which earned positive reviews from critics. She landed her first lead film role opposite Bill Nighy in the Oliver Hermanus drama feature Living, a British remake of the 1952 Japanese film Ikiru, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and earned acclaim.[30][31]

Wood replaced Mia Goth for upcoming thriller film Sweet Dreams, when she played Dorothy. [32]

In January 2024, Wood joined the cast of the third season of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus, which premiered in February 2025.[33] In April 2025, Wood criticized the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live after a scene in the sketch "The White POTUS", a parody of The White Lotus, had actress Sarah Sherman disparagingly portray Wood's character, Chelsea. Wood posted on her Instagram story shortly after the sketch aired, calling it "mean and unfunny", adding "...there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way."[34] SNL members Bowen Yang and Sherman came to Wood's defense, with Sherman sending Wood a bouquet of flowers as an apology.[35]

Personal life

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Wood's teeth are a distinctive feature of her appearance.

Wood resides in South East London.[36] She was in a relationship with her Sex Education co-star Connor Swindells, who portrays Adam Groff in the series, from January 2019[37] to March 2020.[38]

Wood has spoken about her struggles with body image, sharing in a 2020 interview with Glamour, "I have suffered with body dysmorphia my whole life. I remember before the first sex scene, I thought, 'Right, okay. I'll start eating salads every day,' and I just didn't. That was such a turning point for me, making that decision to go, 'Actually, I'm not going to alter how my body looks before this scene because this is how my body looks.'"[39] Wood has shared how British model Georgia May Jagger's role as the face of Rimmel London in 2009 helped her build self-confidence and embrace her distinctive teeth, a feature that had made her a target of bullying.[40][41] "Georgia Jagger did 'get the London look' and she had the gap teeth, that was a huge moment. I thought 'No, I am going to put red lipstick on and I am going to draw attention to it.'"[42]

In an April 2025 interview with The Sunday Times, Wood revealed she had been diagnosed with ADHD a few years prior in addition to "autistic traits", and was advised to seek a formal autism assessment.[43]

Advocacy

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Wood is vocal about a number of political issues online, saying she does not fear the backlash she receives for it.[44] In light of the 2023 Gaza war, Wood was one of over two thousand to sign an Artists for Palestine letter calling for a ceasefire and accusing western governments of "not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them."[45] She also signed the Artists4Ceasefire letter addressed to then U.S. President Joe Biden.[46]

Filmography

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Film

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Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2020 Hen Jess Short film [22]
Uncle Vanya Sonya Serebryakova Cinematic release of the stage play recording
2021 The Electrical Life of Louis Wain Claire Wain [28]
2022 Living Miss Margaret Harris [30]
2024 Seize Them! Queen Dagan [47]
TBA Sweet Dreams † Dorothy [48]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2019–2023 Sex Education Aimee Gibbs Main role, 32 episodes [17]
2024 Alice & Jack Maya Miniseries [49]
2024–present Daddy Issues Gemma Main role; also executive producer[50] [51]
2025 The White Lotus Chelsea Main role; season 3 [52]
Toxic Town Tracey Taylor Miniseries [53]
Film Club † Evie Main role; also co-creator [54]

Stage

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016–2017 Mary Stuart Handmaiden Almeida Theatre, London [11]
2017 People, Places and Things Laura UK tour [55]
2018–2019 Downstate Effie Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, Chicago
Royal National Theatre, London 		[56]
2020 Uncle Vanya Sonya Serebryakova Harold Pinter Theatre, London [25]
2023 Cabaret Sally Bowles Playhouse Theatre, London [25]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2020 The Stage Awards Best Actress in a Play Uncle Vanya Nominated [57]
Ian Charleson Awards Second [58]
2021 British Academy Television Awards Best Female Comedy Performance Sex Education Won [18]
2022 Nominated [59][60]
National Comedy Awards Outstanding Supporting Role Nominated [61]
British Independent Film Awards Best Supporting Performance Living Nominated [62]
2023 British Academy Film Awards EE Rising Star Award Nominated [63]
2024 WhatsOnStage Awards Best Takeover Performance Cabaret Won
[64]
2025
 Royal Television Society Programme Awards Comedy Performance - Female Daddy Issues Nominated
[65]

References

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  1. ^ McLean, Craig (17 February 2025). "In The White Lotus, Aimee Lou Wood is acting like herself". The Face. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  2. ^ Tate, Gabriel (25 February 2025). "Aimee Lou Wood says Netflix's Toxic Town reveals an uncomfortable truth". Radio Times. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  3. ^ Cobby, Erin (16 April 2020). "Meet Sex Education break out star Aimee Lou Wood". Wonderland. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  4. ^ Dex, Robert (24 January 2020). "Aimee Lou Wood on a badly timed press night text message from her dad". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  5. ^ Wiseman, Eva (12 February 2023). "Aimee Lou Wood: 'I am a wrecking ball of emotion'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  6. ^ MacIntyre, Cal (28 June 2019). "Aimee and Emily Wood". Notion. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Old Waconians on the stage, screen and in the director's chair". Cheadle Hulme School. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Oxford School of Drama Prospectus" (PDF). Oxford School of Drama. 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2020.
  9. ^ a b Bergado, Gabe (25 January 2019). "Sex Education Star Aimee Lou Wood on the Power of Female Pleasure, Her Love for RuPaul's Drag Race, and the Iconic "My Ham!" Line". yahoo.com.
  10. ^ Marlowe, Sam. "Theatre: Mary Stuart at the Almeida Theatre, N1". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  11. ^ a b "What's On: Mary Stuart". Almeida. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  12. ^ "People, Places & Things UK Tour". Headlong.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  13. ^ a b Bergado, Gabe (25 January 2019). "Sex Education Star Aimee Lou Wood on the Power of Female Pleasure". teenvogue.com. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  14. ^ Wiebe, Sheldon (4 December 2018). "Netflix Sets Premiere Date for Coming of Age Dramedy Sex Education!". Eclipse Magazine. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  15. ^ Knight, Lewis (10 January 2019). "Sex Education on Netflix review - "Hilariously honest and refreshingly diverse"". mirror. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  16. ^ "'Take care of your actors': the intimacy director keeping Netflix's sex scenes safe". The Guardian. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  17. ^ a b "BAFTA Winner Aimée Lou Wood On Her Important Sex Education Storyline". Grazia. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  18. ^ a b "BAFTA TV 2021: The Winners and Nominations for the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards and British Academy Television Craft Awards". bafta.org. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Aimee Lou Wood wins first BAFTA for her performance in Sex Education". PopBuzz. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  20. ^ Barr, Sabrina (6 June 2021). "Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood screams in shock as she wins Bafta TV Award". Metro. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  21. ^ Dex, Robert (24 January 2020). "Aimee Lou Wood on a badly timed press night text message from her dad". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Student & graduate profiles – Aimee Lou Wood". rada.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  23. ^ Clement, Olivia (18 October 2019). "Sex Education's Aimee Lou Wood, Ciarán Hinds, and More Join West End Uncle Vanya". Playbill. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  24. ^ "Filmed recording of West End Uncle Vanya with Richard Armitage and Toby Jones". www.whatsonstage.com. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  25. ^ a b c Clement, Olivia (18 October 2019). "Sex Education's Aimee Lou Wood, Ciarán Hinds, and More Join West End Uncle Vanya". Playbill. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  26. ^ "Review: Uncle Vanya (Harold Pinter Theatre) | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  27. ^ "British short Film Awards Jury". Instagram. 5 November 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
  28. ^ a b Ritman, Alex (27 August 2019). "Stacy Martin, Hayley Squires Join Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Louis Wain' for Amazon, StudioCanal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  29. ^ Trapunski, Charles (14 July 2020). "Interview: Sex Education's Aimee Lou Wood". Brief Take. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  30. ^ a b Edwards, Chris (15 October 2020). "Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood lands first lead movie role alongside Bill Nighy". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020.
  31. ^ Ritman, Alex (15 October 2020). "Bill Nighy, 'Sex Education' Star Aimee Lou Wood Team for Kurosawa Adaptation 'Living'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  32. ^ "'Sex Education' Star Aimee Lou Wood Joins Nick Frost, Paapa Essiedu, Billy Howle & Niamh Algar In Crime-Thriller 'Sweet Dreams' — EFM". Deadline. 7 February 2024.
  33. ^ Otterson, Joe (16 January 2024). "'White Lotus' Season 3 Casts Walton Goggins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aimee Lou Wood, Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola". Variety. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  34. ^ Liston, Enjoli (14 April 2025). "'White Lotus' Star Aimee Lou Wood Criticizes S.N.L. For 'Mean' Sketch". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  35. ^ "Bowen Yang defends Aimee Lou Wood's criticism of 'White Lotus' parody on 'SNL'". NBC News. 20 April 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  36. ^ Rankin, Seija (4 March 2025). "Aimee Lou Wood Finally Finds a Role She Can Sink Her Very British Teeth Into". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  37. ^ Lee, Jess (1 March 2019). "Sex Education's Connor Swindells confirms real-life romance with co-star Aimee Lou Wood". Digital Spy.
  38. ^ Conner, Megan (17 March 2020). "Aimee Lou Wood addresses new roles, insecurities and high street fashion choices". Stylist.
  39. ^ Smith, Josh (16 January 2020). "'I used to write "fat" on my mirror': Sex Education's Aimee Lou Wood opens up about her body dysmorphia". Glamour UK. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  40. ^ "Aimee Lou Wood Says Fans' Fascination with Her Teeth Is a 'Full-Circle' Moment After Being 'Bullied' for Appearance". People.com. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  41. ^ "The White Lotus' Aimee Lou Wood Reveals Moment She Accepted Her Teeth Were "Different"". E! Online. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  42. ^ "Aimee Lou Wood Has Seen the Chatter About Her Teeth on 'The White Lotus'". ELLE. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  43. ^ McLaughlin, Charlotte (6 April 2025). "Aimee Lou Wood says she was diagnosed with ADHD and autistic traits". London Standard. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  44. ^ Greenwood, Douglas (6 April 2025). "There Is Only One Aimee Lou Wood". The Cut. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  45. ^ "Tilda Swinton among 2000+ artists calling for Gaza ceasefire". Artists for Palestine. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  46. ^ "Artists Call for Ceasefire Now". Artists4Ceasefire. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  47. ^ Grater, Tom (21 March 2022). "UK Comedy 'Seize Them!' Unveils Cast; Matteo Garrone's 'Io Capitano' Underway; Rasika Dugal Wraps UK Shoot – Global Briefs". Deadline. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  48. ^ "Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood lands next movie role". digital spy. 7 February 2024.
  49. ^ Ravindra, Manori (9 August 2023). "Andrea Riseborough, Domhnall Gleeson Lead Offbeat Channel 4 Romance 'Alice & Jack,' Directed by 'Compartment Number 6' Helmer (Excluxive)". Variety. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  50. ^ Yossman, K. J. (11 December 2023). "Aimee Lou Wood, David Morrissey to Star in Father-Daughter Comedy 'Daddy Issues' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  51. ^ "BBC Comedy orders Daddy Issues for BBC Three with Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey to star". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  52. ^ "White Lotus Season 3 Cast With Pictures: Every Actor Confirmed to Appear". thedirect.com. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  53. ^ Goldbart, Max (10 August 2023). "'Toxic Town': Netflix Greenlights Jack Thorne-Penned Corby Poisonings Series Starring Aimee Lou Wood, Jodie Whittaker, Robert Carlyle". Deadline. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  54. ^ "Aimee Lou Wood to star alongside Nabhaan Rizwan and Suranne Jones in new BBC romantic comedy-drama Film Club". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  55. ^ Chatterton, David (22 September 2017). "People, Places & Things". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  56. ^ Thompson, Jessie (18 March 2019). "Aimee Lou Wood interview: 'I read Downstate and I was like: Bruce, what are you doing mate?'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  57. ^ "The Stage Nominees and winners 2017". thestage.co.uk. 22 September 2022.
  58. ^ "Ian Charleson Awards 2022 winner announced | West End Theatre". 22 May 2022.
  59. ^ TV, Guardian (30 March 2022). "Bafta TV awards 2022: full list of nominations". the Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  60. ^ "BAFTA Television 2022: The Winners and nominations". bafta.org. 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  61. ^ "Shortlist opens for the National Comedy Awards 2021 | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  62. ^ "BIFA winners and Nominations 2022". bifa.film. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  63. ^ "Nominees announced for the 2023 EE Rising Star Award ahead of the EE BAFTA Film Awards". www.bafta.org. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  64. ^ Millward, Tom (7 December 2023). "Nominations in full: the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  65. ^ "RTS announces winners of the RTS Programme Awards 2025". Royal Television Society. 25 March 2025.
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