Aimee Lou Wood’s heartbreaking well being battle that led to ‘very important intervention’ at drama faculty – as star breaks down in tears
White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood has become the centre of a debate about offensive comedy, after Saturday Night Live broadcasted a ‘mean and unfunny’ skit that poked fun of her looks.
The first public images of the actor since the mocking sketch show her seeking comfort in a friend as she wipes away tears, seemingly overcome with emotion.
It follows the actor’s long history of struggles with her body image — which she’s bravely opened up about on various occasions.
At her worst, the 31 year-old suffered with the eating disorder bulimia, which eventually resulted in a ‘harsh but necessary’ intervention from staff at prestigious drama school, RADA.
In a 2023 interview, she spoke of drama school feeling like a ‘tirade on your body’, which led to feelings of ‘I have to make myself sick’ in order to ‘people please’.
‘I hated my body and didn’t want to be in it – that’s not the case any more, thank God,’ she added.
Eating disorders, including bulimia, anorexia and binge eating disorder, affect some 1.25million people in the UK.
Bulimia, characterised by periods of purging calories via vomiting, exercising or other means, can have deadly effects on the heart if untreated.
White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood appeared to break down in tears and be comforted by a pal in London on Monday following SNL’s ‘mean and unfunny’ skit about her teeth
The condition is thought to be caused by a combination of factors, including genetic predisposition, personality type and trigger — such as being bullied or starting a diet.
The Mancunian previously said her body image struggles may have been rooted in cruel jibes from classmates in her school years.
In her private secondary school, where she first developed a love of drama, she said she felt out of place with her thick Stockport accent, and was teased about her ‘Bugs Bunny’ teeth.
This led her to believe she wouldn’t be able to land acting roles due to being ‘too weird-looking’.
‘Anyone who’s been bullied knows what it’s like to hear these things, to internalise it and turn it in on yourself and go “If I was just less ugly, just less this, just more this…”,’ she told The Observer.
It appears as though the Sex Education star’s demons have not fully disappeared, given recent comments she made about her role in HBO hit White Lotus.
In an interview with British GQ published this month, Ms Wood explained how comments from White Lotus creator Mike White about ‘fighting’ the studio to cast her had left her feeling insecure.
‘When someone (not a producer) told me Mike fought for me it was said in a nice way,’ she said.
She was joined by fellow actor and co-creator of new sitcom Film Club, Ralph Davis, who was on hand to offer support. Ralph listened intently as Aimee sobbed and, after wrapping his arms around her, they headed to a nearby café
‘I just spiralled about it because of my own imposter syndrome.
‘My little head goes “HBO didn’t want me. And I know why HBO didn’t want me, it’s because I’m ugly”.
She continued: ‘Mike had to say, “please let me have the ugly girl!” That was the thing that was in my head.’
Aimee has since clarified however, that HBO had been incredibly supportive of her.
Elsewhere in the interview Aimee said she was also worried interest in her teeth was overshadowing her abilities as an actress.
‘The whole conversation is just about my teeth, and it makes me a bit sad because I’m not getting to talk about my work,’ she said.
She added: ‘I don’t know if it was a man would we be talking about it this much? It’s still going on about a woman’s appearance.’
However, in response to the most recent jibes by SNL — which involved a parody of Ms Wood’s White Lotus character wearing exaggerated buck teeth — the actor said she is ‘not thin-skinned’ and ‘loves being taken the piss out of’.
Sarah Sherman pictured in the sketch, which has been dubbed ‘mean and unfunny’
On Sunday night, The White Lotus star shared a series of posts condemning the sketch show over Sherman’s enormous prosthetic teeth, which dwarfed Wood’s own teeth
Earlier in the day, Aimee Lou shared more thoughts on the matter, as she slammed SNL and addressed rumours about HBO
But this particular sketch was ‘unfunny, mean and cheap’, she told her Instagram followers.
A-listers and fans have since rallied around the star and jumped to her defence.
Sharing Ms Wood’s Instagram response to the sketch, actress and model Cara Delevingne wrote: ‘@aimeelouwood YOU ARE STUNNING. PERIOD.’
Meanwhile, presenter and actor Jameela Jamil said of the SNL gag: ‘I hate this so much.’
‘It’s the least interesting or memorable thing about this brilliant actor. Our next Olivia Coleman. Hilarious, deep, vulnerable, and relentlessly loveable.
‘We make fun of the assimilation of women and then mercilessly obsess over anyone with any slightly alternative features from whatever bullsh** AI standard we have allowed, as women, to take hold of this world.’
In the sketch, named ‘The White Potus’, it imagined the Trump family and various political figures on holiday at the famous retreat.
Goggins’ character Rick was reimagined as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who was seen on a rambling rant debating they take ‘all the fluoride out of the water’.
The camera then cut to Aimee Lou Wood’s character Chelsea – played by Sarah – with exaggerated buck teeth, who exclaimed: ‘Fluoride? What’s that?’
In response, the actor took aim at the ‘cheap’ joke, as she wrote: ‘Such a shame cuz I had such a great time watching it a couple weeks ago.
‘Yes, take the p**s for sure – that’s what the show is about – but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way?”
Posting on social media in reaction that has gone viral, she claimed that SNL had reached out to extend an olive branch.
Alongside a selfie distorted to make her eyes and mouth larger, she penned: ‘I’ve had apologies from SNL.
‘Last thing I’ll say on the matter. I am not thin skinned. I actually love being taken the p**s out of when it’s clever and in good spirits. But the joke was about fluoride. I have big gap teeth not bad teeth.
‘I don’t mind caricature – I understand that’s what SNL is. But the rest of the skit was punching up and I/ Chelsea was the only one punched down On… Okay end of.’
To conclude, she shared a comment from a fan that read: ‘It was a sharp and funny skit until it suddenly took a screeching turn into 1970’s misogyny’, adding: ‘This sums up my view’.
Aimee Lou Wood got her big break in television in 2019 when she was cast in Netflix’s racy comedy, Sex Education, as Aimee Gibbs.
In 2021 she spoke about how filming sex scenes had given her ‘major vulnerability hangover’, and she initially thought she looked ‘hideous’.
But she has since said she was glad that the producers didn’t airbrush her body, commenting ‘now I look back at that and think, “wow, great!”.’
Those worried about their own or someone else’s health relating to an eating disorder can contact Beat on 0808 801 0677 or at beateatingdisorders.org.uk
