Aimee Lou Wood says she criticised SNL sketch to not ‘spiral inwardly’
By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
British actress Aimee Lou Wood has said she criticised a Saturday Night Live sketch about her so she would not “spiral inwardly” as she did not rule out appearing on the show in the future.
The White Lotus star hit out at the long-running US comedy show, calling a skit impersonating her with exaggerated prosthetic teeth “mean and unfunny”.
SNL apologised for the April sketch, according to Wood, and the comedian and cast member who impersonated her, Sarah Sherman, sent her flowers to apologise.
On the red carpet of the Met Gala where she wore a black suit-inspired outfit, Wood spoke about her viral Instagram post.
She told Entertainment Tonight: “It all got very out of control… my whole thinking was I could either say something because I saw it and people were angry about it… and have it be said, and I won’t spiral inwardly, and feel terrible about myself.”
The sketch titled White Potus saw characters replaced by depictions of President Donald Trump and his inner circle, and was a spoof of Mike White’s drama The White Lotus.
Wood played Chelsea in the third series of the HBO show, which follows the lives of guests and staff at a luxury resort in Thailand as dark secrets are revealed and tensions rise over the course of the holiday, opposite US actor Walton Goggins as her mysterious older boyfriend.
She also said that she thought her criticism was “really simple and balanced” but in the media it became that she was “crying” on the street about the sketch.
She added: “I wasn’t crying about the SNL skit, I was crying about something completely unrelated, but it all got quite out of control, and then it was Walton’s doing it (SNL)… and he’s going to be incredible doing SNL, it’s the perfect thing for him to do, he’s going to be hilarious, I’m so excited.”
Wood said the experience taught her that “people are quite bored” and “analyse social media way too much”.
“It’s odd, you can’t really engage too much, it’s very good to learn boundaries,” she added.
Wood also said that she “loved” working with Goggins, and called the experience the “best thing ever”, following rumours the two co-stars had drifted apart after being on the series.
She also said she would appear on the programme but she would not be on it when Goggins hosts later this month.
The pair are following each other on Instagram and both attended the Met Gala on Monday evening.
Wood attended the event with her The White Lotus co-star Patrick Schwarzenegger, the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The actress, who has also starred in Sex Education and Toxic Town, has previously spoken about the attention she has received for the gap in her teeth.
In a recent GQ Hype interview, Wood said the conversation around her appearance made her “a bit sad” as she was “not getting to talk about my work”.