Aimee Lou Wood has responded to fan discussions about her teeth.
The 31-year-old actress is stepping into the world of The White Lotus, playing Chelsea, a young woman vacationing in Thailand with her older boyfriend, Rick (Walton Goggins).
The highly anticipated third season of the hit HBO series follows a new set of wealthy guests at a luxury resort, with a star-studded cast including Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb, and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
For Wood, joining the cast of the popular TV series felt like a dream come true. “The show was a complete hyperfixation of mine, and it was all I would talk about,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “And then, on season two, Will Sharpe turned up, and I know him, and I thought, ‘Maybe I could be in this?’”
Now, as she steps further into the Hollywood spotlight, the Sex Education star is embracing what makes her stand out – including the way fans talk about her teeth.
While initially nervous about starring alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest names, the young actress is proud of her differences, from her lifestyle to her appearance.
“These people live in Hollywood,” she said. “I live in my little flat in South East London, and I’m so British in my sensibility that I wasn’t sure how to handle being around so many people who are so front-footed and confident.”
But rather than feeling pressured to conform, Wood has learned to own her unique look.
“All I ever do is take the p** out of myself. Even the way [White Lotus fans] are talking about me and my teeth – that I don’t have veneers or Botox – it feels a bit rebellious,” she added.
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Wood has previously spoken about her teeth and how they impacted her confidence early in her career. In a 2020 interview with Stylist, she was asked if she believed her appearance had been a “barrier” to booking roles.
“No, I don’t. It’s completely in my head. It’s a myth I’ve told myself. I had it in my brain that I’m not conventional-looking enough, and that’s a mental barrier I’ve had to overcome,” she admitted.
Over time, she realized her distinctive look resonated with others. “And now, of course, I’m getting hundreds of messages from people going, ‘Oh my god, you’ve got teeth like mine.’ Now I go to school and people think I’m cool because I look like Aimee,'” she said. “Instead of it being ‘Bugs Bunny’ or whatever. Because that’s what happened to me.”
Though Wood doesn’t fully embrace the Hollywood lifestyle, she acknowledges that working with American actors has helped her find her voice.
“I would be more confident now to talk to a director about an idea I have, or just to make s** happen,”* she said.
Looking back, she admits she once struggled to believe in her own success. “The first thing I did out of drama school was a play, and I remember thinking it was so cool that I was getting paid for it,” she recalled. “Then I got Sex Education and thought it was just a fluke; even when it erupted, I figured my success would pass.”
“It was basically just last week that I woke up and went, ‘What the hell is my life?’” she concluded.
