British actor Aimee Lou Wood took to social media to condemn a recent Saturday Night Live (SNL) sketch. The original sketch poked fun at her character on HBO’s The White Lotus. From there, SNL cast member Sarah Sherman produced a memorable skit that clothed Wood in the most exaggerated prosthetic teeth imaginable. In an Instagram post, Wood termed the experience “cruel and not funny.”
Wood’s remarks followed closely on the heels of SNL’s own apology for the parody. As she explained in her Instagram post, she was particularly disappointed with how she was represented. As she explained bluntly, “I have big gap teeth, not bad teeth. The rest of the skit was punching up and I/Chelsea was the only one going down on. Her comments addressed the subject matter of the skit head-on. These moments helped to relay her passion for body image and representation in media.
At first, Wood thought about removing her harshly negative post but ultimately resolved to stick by her negative review. She followed up to further clarify her comments from her GQ Hype interview. During our interview, she shared that her sense of being “ugly” was a reflection of her own insecurities and not HBO telling her something through hurtful statements.
Wood said that the constant scrutiny of her appearance made her feel “kind of bummed out. She felt as though this diverted attention from what made her work in The White Lotus so special. Creator Mike White went to the mat to get her cast in that HBO series. Despite her insecurities about being cast in such a prominent role, Wood emphasized that she is “not thin-skinned” and recognizes that SNL is known for its caricatures and exaggerated portrayals.
“On a positive note, everyone is agreeing with me about it so I’m glad I said something instead of going in on myself.” – Aimee Lou Wood
As funny as the SNL spoof was, Wood understood how laughable and exaggerated it made the real thing seem. For her, there were some lines that should never be crossed. As she explained, “To be clear – in truth-telling mode – I found the SNL thing rude and unfunny. This speaks to a larger conversation around culturally sensitive creative expression, representation, and escapism in Hollywood.