Aimee Lou Wood

Aimee Lou Wood (born 3 February 1994) 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

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

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

Career

Wood began her professional acting career in 2016 by working on stage productions, making her debut as a handmaiden in the play ''Mary Stuart'', performed at the Almeida Theatre in London until 2017. 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.

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. She had originally auditioned for the part of Lily Inglehart, which was ultimately given to Tanya Reynolds, but accepted the role of Aimee when she was offered it. The series went on to receive critical acclaim, and Wood's performance earned praise. At the 2021 British Academy Television Awards, she won the British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance, which is both her first accolade and her first award received from a major association; 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."

In 2020, Wood played Jess in "Hen", a short film directed by James Larkin. That same year, she was cast as Sonya Serebryakova in ''Uncle Vanya'', 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. 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. oodpositively shines."' 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. She made her feature-film debut as Claire Wain in the 2021 biographical film ''The Electrical Life of Louis Wain'', 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.

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

In January 2024, Wood joined the cast of the third season of the HBO anthology series ''The White Lotus'', which premiered in February 2025. 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." SNL members Bowen Yang and Sherman came to Wood's defense, with Sherman sending Wood a bouquet of flowers as an apology.

Personal life

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

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.'" 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. "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.'"

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.

Advocacy

Wood is vocal about a number of political issues online, saying she does not fear the backlash she receives for it. 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." She also signed the Artists4Ceasefire letter addressed to then U.S. President Joe Biden.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Accolades

References

External links

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Aimee Lou Wood
on Independent Talent Group
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Aimee Lou
Living people
1994 births
21st-century English actresses
Actresses from Stockport
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
English musical theatre actresses
English stage actresses
English television actresses
People educated at Cheadle Hulme School
People from Bramhall
People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder