Aimee Lou Wood's Gorgeous Transformation From Sex Education To The White Lotus

Aimee Lou Wood stole the world's heart on "The White Lotus" as "Chelsea," the affectionate life partner to the troubled "Rick Hatchett," played by Walton Goggins. She's lovable, hilarious, and fun-loving, as she puts up with Hatchett's miserable ways in search of finding some joy on their trip. While Wood nails the part, it's far from her first rodeo with a hit show. The actor has been gracing the screen and stage for years, earning her chops as "Aimee Gibbs" in "Sex Education" and "Gemma" in "Daddy Issues."

Wood is originally from Stockport, a town in Manchester, England, so her accent in "The White Lotus" is the real deal. She seems to share a lot of herself with her characters. In "Sex Education," her character is also called Aimee. In 2020, Wood told Wonderland Magazine that she and her on-screen Aimee were like one. "[S]he's become me now, we're kind of a merge, the two of us," Wood said. Wood puts her heart and soul into her work, and so it's no wonder that she's become such a sensation. Fans love her authenticity. While she makes it look easy, Wood has also opened up about different struggles she's faced as an emerging star, and the self-confidence she exudes was hard won. Both inside and out, Wood has had an incredible transformation, proving she's got guts and gall. 

Aimee Lou Wood joked that she got into acting because she was weird. As a kid, she wrote plays and had her sister act them out, so this gave her roots in dramatic art. As she got older, she felt shy at school, and wanted to do something about it. "I was quite shy, so I'd always do the writing side, and then when I went to secondary school, I didn't have any friends, 'cause I was weird," she told Teen Vogue in January 2019. "The only way that I could make friends was by making people laugh and being funny, so it kind of grew from that. I started getting into drama club, and then my studies kind of went out the window. I was actually really studious and well-behaved but then became the class clown." While shyness and social anxiety are no joke, it did lead Wood to pursue acting seriously, and she graduated from London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2017. 

Visually, it's tough to image Wood as shy and reserved. Even when she was just breaking into the scene, she had a striking look, with her large, dreamy brown eyes, those iconic teeth, and a penchant for bold colors. She would go on to hone her style, and play with darker hair shades, but she's always been noticeable and never one to fade into the background. 

Aimee Lou Wood's signature feature is her amazing teeth, and in her transformation from a new actor to a star, she's discussed them. When deciding whether or not Chelsea, her character in "The White Lotus" would have an American or British accent, Wood and creator Mike White decided on the latter. "I also don't look very American," she told Elle in February 2025. "I always think my teeth just give me away as someone from England." 

In a video she shared on Instagram from March 2025, Wood talked about how she came to terms with her teeth looking different. "A big thing for me growing up was my mouth because it was the thing that everyone pointed out, and it was the thing that made me different," Wood said. "And I've never seen an actress on TV with teeth like mine." Wood went on to say that when Georgia Jagger proudly flaunted the gap in her teeth, it gave Wood the encouragement she needed to own her gorgeous smile, and master the art of the statement red lip. We're so glad she did because Wood's incredible smile is what makes her so unique. In fact, Georgia Jagger herself commented on Wood's video, saying: "Your teeth are gorgeous." Love it.

As Aimee Lou Wood became more established as an actor, she had to confront unrealistic body image standards, particularly when prepping for some of her nude scenes in "Sex Education." It hasn't always been easy for the star to navigate the world of fame, and the simultaneous experience of being seen by so many viewers. "Being known and recognized can worsen some of my feelings of paranoia and self-criticism and self-judgment," she told BriefTake in July 2020. "My eating disorder always flares up when I'm feeling out of control of my life, and this is how I felt when 'Sex Education' came out because it was watched by many people. I knew that I needed therapy to prevent myself from once again going down that path." Wood said that going to therapy over her eating disorder gave her a healthy way to take control of her life and let go of the obsessions around food and her body. It can be transformative for a star to vulnerably talk about their own relationship with their body and weight, as so many individuals can struggle with this. And thanks to Wood speaking frankly, it can help others to take a look at certain behaviors that might indicate one's relationship with food needs a closer look. Good for Wood for speaking up.

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

In order to inhabit these many, different characters, Aimee Lou Wood had to get really comfortable in her own skin, and a big moment of change came for the actor when she turned 30. It was a new decade, and offered her the gift of settling into her own skin, and of growing more relaxed with her sense of self and her own achievements. "The 20s are hard. There's so much pressure to experience and prove yourself, and I feel like everyone in their 30s just chills out of it and is like, 'This is who I am. This is where I'm at,'" Wood told Elle in February 2025. "There's that kind of race before 30 of, 'Have I done all the things?'" 

We can see how this self-assuredness played out in Wood's own relationship with herself. As a younger actor, she sported blonde hair and went for bolder styles. However, once she hit her 30s and felt established, Wood's physical transformation reflected this. She wears her hair in a rich, dark brown when she isn't in character, and for the most part, opts for natural, neutral makeup. She's mastered art of wearing natural-looking makeup with a bold lip, which looks very sophisticated on her. 

Aimee Lou Wood understands the cultural influence of starring in "The White Lotus." The hit TV show shot her into international fame, and has altered the trajectory of her career for the better. In a makeup video that she shared to Instagram in March 2025, Wood joked that she rarely does her own makeup. Part of the reason for this is that her sister is a makeup artist, and when Wood started acting, she had makeup artists. In an effort learn how to do it herself, Wood shared that starring in "The White Lotus" changed her routine. "The one thing I miss about Thailand," she began, "I was there for seven months filming 'The White Lotus.' I had a constant glow." Wood joked that a lot of it was sweat from the humidity, but ever since, she's incorporated highlighter into her routine. 

It wasn't just the glow that changed things for Wood after "The White Lotus." She told The Hollywood Reporter that working with huge stars changed the way she saw herself. "These people live in Holly­wood. 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... Even the way [fans] are talking about me and my teeth — that I don't have veneers or Botox — it feels a bit rebellious."