Aimee Lou Wood
Wood in 2021
Born
Stockport, England, UK
EducationRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (BA)
OccupationActress
Years active2016–present

Aimee Lou Wood is an English actress. After early stage roles in Mary Stuart (2016–2017) and People, Places and Things (2017), Wood made her screen debut on the Netflix series Sex Education (2019–2023), which won her a British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance from two nominations. Her films include The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021) and Living (2022). On stage, she appeared in the likes of Uncle Vanya (2020) and Cabaret (2023).

Early life and education

Wood was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester and grew up in Bramhall.[1] Her mother works for Childline and her father is a car dealer.[2] [3] Her sister Emily Wood is a notable makeup artist.[4]

Following their parents' divorce, Wood attended Cheadle Hulme School.[5] She then took a foundation course at the Oxford School of Drama,[6] and went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2017.[7]

She has mostly retained her regional accent.[8][9]

Career

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

During her time at RADA, Wood was involved in many productions, such as playing Margaret in a production of Scuttlers directed by Hannah Eidinow, and as Goody in Vinegar Tom, directed by Cressida Brown. She 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-stars alongside Asa Butterfield, Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa and Gillian Anderson.[13][14] She had originally auditioned for the part of Lily, which was ultimately given to Tanya Reynolds,[7][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 that "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]

In 2020, Wood played Jess in Hen, a short film directed by James Larkin.[22] That same year, she was cast in the pivotal role of Sonya in the production Uncle Vanya,[23] which was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Harold Pinter Theatre and obtained both a cinematic release as well as a BBC national release in the same year.[24][25] Uncle Vanya and Wood's performance was lauded by critics. On her portrayal of Sonya, WhatsOnStage wrote that "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 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]

Personal life

Wood was in a relationship with her Sex Education co-star Connor Swindells, who in the series portrays Adam Groff, from January 2019[32] to sometime before March 2020.[33] She has struggled with her body image, revealing in a 2020 interview with Glamour magazine that "I have suffered with body dysmorphia my whole life. ... I remember before the first sex scene (in Sex Education), 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.'"[34]

In light of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Wood was one of over two thousand to sign an Artists for Palestine open letter addressed to Joe Biden, President of the United States, calling for a ceasefire and accusing western governments of "not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them."[35]

Filmography

Film

Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2020 Hen Jess Short film [22]
2020 Uncle Vanya Sonya Cinematic release of the stage play recording
2021 The Electrical Life of Louis Wain Claire Wain [28]
2022 Living Miss Margaret Harris [30]
2023 Seize Them! † Queen Dagan [36]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2019–2023 Sex Education Aimee Gibbs Main role, 32 episodes [17]
TBA Alice & Jack † TBA Miniseries [37]
TBA Toxic Town † TBA [38]
TBA Daddy Issues † Gemma Main role [39]

Stage roles

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016–2017 Mary Stuart Handmaiden Almeida Theatre, London [11]
2017 People, Places and Things Laura UK tour [40]
2018–2019 Downstate Effie Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, Chicago
Royal National Theatre, London 		[41]
2020 Uncle Vanya Sonya Harold Pinter Theatre, London [25]
2023 Cabaret Sally Bowles Playhouse Theatre, London [25]

Accolades

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2020 The Stage Awards Best Actress in a Play Uncle Vanya Nominated [42]
Ian Charleson Awards Second [43]
2021 British Academy Television Awards Best Female Comedy Performance Sex Education Won [18]
2022 Nominated [44][45]
National Comedy Awards Outstanding Supporting Role Nominated [46]
British Independent Film Awards Best Supporting Performance Living Nominated [47]
2023 British Academy Film Awards EE Rising Star Award Nominated [48]
2024 WhatsOnStage Awards Best Takeover Performance Cabaret Pending [49]

References

  1. ^ Cobby, Erin (16 April 2020). "Meet Sex Education break out star Aimee Lou Wood". Wonderland. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Wiseman, Eva (12 February 2023). "Aimee Lou Wood: 'I am a wrecking ball of emotion'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  4. ^ MacIntyre, Cal (28 June 2019). "Aimee and Emily Wood". Notion. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "Oxford School of Drama Prospectus" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2020.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Akbar, Arifa (9 February 2020). "I confronted my own school bully". The Guardian.
  9. ^ Carson, Sarah (15 January 2020). "Sex Education's Aimee Lou Wood: 'If you can take ownership of your sexuality, you can take ownership of other parts of your life'". INews. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  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. ^ "netflix sets premier date for coming of age drama Sex Education!". eclipsemagazine.com. 4 December 2018. 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. 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. 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. 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. ^ Lee, Jess (1 March 2019). "Sex Education's Connor Swindells confirms real-life romance with co-star Aimee Lou Wood". Digital Spy.
  33. ^ Conner, Megan (17 March 2020). "Aimee Lou Wood addresses new roles, insecurities and high street fashion choices". Stylist.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ "Tilda Swinton among 2000+ artists calling for Gaza ceasefire". Artists for Palestine. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ 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.
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ "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.
  40. ^ Chatterton, David. "People, Places & Things". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  41. ^ 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.
  42. ^ "The Stage Nominees and winners 2017". thestage.co.uk. 22 September 2022.
  43. ^ https://www.westendtheatre.com/118911/news/awards/ian-charleson-awards-2022-winner-announced/
  44. ^ TV, Guardian (30 March 2022). "Bafta TV awards 2022: full list of nominations". the Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  45. ^ "BAFTA Television 2022: The Winners and nominations". bafta.org. 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  46. ^ "Shortlist opens for the National Comedy Awards 2021 | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  47. ^ "BIFA winners and Nominations 2022". bifa.film. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  48. ^ "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.
  49. ^ Millward, Tom (7 December 2023). "Nominations in full: the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 13 December 2023.

External links

BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance
Categories