Aimee Lou Wood says that she does not regret calling out Saturday Night Live for their sketch mocking her appearance in The White Lotus.
In April, shortly after her season of The White Lotus was released, the US variety show saw comedian Sarah Sherman imitating Wood in a skit parodying the hit HBO series.
In season three, Wood plays Chelsea, who is on a vacation in Thailand with her older boyfriend Rick, played by Walton Goggins.
The season follows a slew of guests at a luxury resort in the Southeast Asian country, with the cast also including Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb, and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
In her skit, Sherman wore fake teeth in imitation of Wood’s much-discussed facial feature and made a joke, in an inaccurate British accent, about not knowing the meaning of the word “fluoride”.
Wood called out the sketch after it aired, describing its depiction of her as “mean and unfunny”.
In a new interview, Lou Wood said she didn’t regret addressing the sketch publicly and standing up for herself.
“I don’t regret saying it because it was breaking a pattern, which is what I would usually do – what I did when I was younger and got bullied,” she told BBC News.
“I have a choice here to go in and be embarrassed about it and just say ‘I didn’t like that. It was mean.’”
The actor later revealed that SNL had apologised to her for the sketch and Sherman had sent her a bouquet of flowers.
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“Thank you for the beautiful flowers,” she said on Instagram, posting a picture of the gift.
Wood had previously made clear that she wasn’t directing her ire at Sherman, saying that she was “not hating on her” but instead “hating on the concept” of the skit.
Wood has talked about her distinctive teeth in the past and whether she thinks they have affected her career.
“No, I don’t. It’s completely in my head. It’s a myth I’ve told myself,” she told Stylist in 2020.
“I had it in my brain that I’m not conventional-looking enough and that’s a mental barrier I’ve had to overcome.”
Although her teeth negatively affected her confidence when auditioning for TV roles early in her career, Wood later learned that many fans felt they could relate to her.
“I mean I can’t believe the impact my teeth are having,” Wood said on The Jonathan Ross Show earlier this year in March.
“Because the Americans can’t believe [my teeth], but they’re all being lovely.”
Wood said she had seen videos of orthodontists analysing her teeth and “dissecting what is wrong” with them. But such clips still ended with the doctors saying “but we don’t think she should change a thing”.
She reiterated how much this praise meant to her, especially given the criticism she faced in the past for her appearance.
“It feels so lovely. A real full-circle moment after being bullied for my teeth, forever,” the Sex Education alum said.
However, Wood discouraged fans from trying to copy her look. “I hope people don’t start like filing their teeth so they have gaps.”
