British Star Embraces American Ambition in The White Lotus Season 3
Aimee Lou Wood, best known for her role in Netflix’s Sex Education, is stepping into the spotlight with her biggest Hollywood role yet in The White Lotus Season 3. The 30-year-old actress, who never saw herself as ambitious, is now embracing a new kind of confidence after landing the highly coveted role.
“The show was a complete hyperfixation of mine,” Wood admitted. “And then when I saw Will Sharpe in Season 2, I thought, ‘Maybe I could be in this?’”
From Fan to Lead Star
Despite her BAFTA-winning success in Sex Education, Wood hesitated before auditioning. “I told my agents to get me an audition, and then I thought, ‘Actually, I don’t want to do it.’ It puts too much pressure on me.” But she ultimately took the leap—and landed the role of Chelsea, a working-class woman vacationing in Thailand with her much older, increasingly irritable boyfriend, played by Walton Goggins.
Chelsea, described by Wood as a “misfit” in a sea of privilege, immediately resonated with her. “She’s unfazed, which is funny because I’m severely fazed,” she laughed. “I have a Scorpio moon.”
A Hollywood Culture Shock
The British star found herself navigating a new world of confidence and ambition among her mostly American co-stars, which include Patrick Schwarzenegger, Leslie Bibb, Parker Posey, and Carrie Coon.
“These people live in Hollywood,” Wood said. “I live in my little flat in South East London. I wasn’t sure how to handle being around people who are so front-footed and confident. All I ever do is take the piss out of myself.”
Over the six-month shoot, some of that American self-assurance rubbed off on her. “I realized it’s okay to be ambitious and to own that I have goals. I’d be more confident now to talk to a director about an idea or just make things happen,” she reflected.
A Well-Deserved Break
Now, at the peak of her career, Wood is making an unconventional choice—taking a break. “I haven’t stopped working since drama school, so I’m doing the subversive thing and taking a vacation at the biggest moment of my career. I want to process this and let it soak in.”
After years of worrying about how she was perceived, she’s finally embracing her uniqueness. “I spent a lot of my life worrying about being weird,” she said. “Now I’m realizing it could be my superpower.”