White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood has slammed a heartless sketch on an American comedy show that mocked her appearance, describing it on her Instagram account as “mean and unfunny.” Aimee, 31, who is originally from Stockport, Greater Manchester, took to social media to express her distress over the irreverent skit, which made a joke out of her gap-filled teeth.
The tongue-in-cheek sketch on the popular US show Saturday Night Live mockingly parodied key characters from series three of The White Lotus. The actress’s distress shines a light on reports of an alleged toxic feud amongst the cast of the hit HBO series, which followed the lives of wealthy guests at a luxury hotel resort in Thailand.
Aimee’s character, Chelsea, was impersonated by American comedian Sarah Sherman, 32, who wore exaggerated, prosthetic teeth. Saturday Night Live has since issued an apology to Aimee over the heartless depiction and has spoken previously about her insecurities over her unconventional Hollywood looks.
Actor Walton Goggins, 53, who played Aimee’s on-screen love interest Rick, commented on a clip Saturday Night Live sketch, which was later deleted, with two gleeful words: “Hahahahahhahaha. Amazzzingggg.” Following the season finale, Walton shared a gushing tribute to their characters’ tragic ending.
Yet he failed to tag his co-star in the Instagram post. He wrote: “With the heaviest of hearts… To me, ours was a love story. It was only ever a love story, hindered by unresolved childhood trauma. In the depths of our despair, there is always beauty around us.”
Eagle-eyed fans noticed the pair were no longer following each other and that Aimee’s comments and likes had reportedly disappeared from his account, making people believe he had blocked her. The alleged blocking appears to have come out of nowhere after previously describing Aimee as a “very special person in my life” in an interview with The Telegraph.
Earlier speculation over tensions on set arose when Jason Isaacs, 61, who played Timothy, described the filming experience as “like a cross between summer camp and Lord of the Flies but in a gilded cage.
“It wasn’t a holiday. Some people got very close, there were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost,” he told entertainment site Vulture, although the actor later played down tensions on the set.
In further comments made to The Happy Hour podcast, Jonathan added: “Like anywhere you go for the summer, there’s romances, there’s arguments, there’s cliques that form and break and reform and stuff like that.”
Although it’s not clear where the battle lines amongst the cast lie, Aimee’s followers on Instagram praised her for calling out the cruel way she was portrayed on Saturday Night Live. She wrote on Instagram Stories: “Whilst in honest mode – I did find the SNL thing mean and unfunny.”
The actress added that she was “feeling righteous” for hitting back at her ‘cruel’ treatment. Aimee, who made her name on Netflix’s Sex Education, and has had various film and television credits since, as well as starring in stage shows Cabaret and Uncle Vanya, questioned whether to take down the post.
But her followers urged her not to, with one writing: “Don’t delete it. It was mean and unfunny and saying it out loud removes their power.”
The controversial Saturday Night Live skit, which was dubbed White Potus, was meant to be a satirical take on Donald Trump and his inner circle. Notably, none of the other characters were ridiculed for their appearance or accents.
On Tuesday, Aimee was pictured in public for the first time since she branded the SNL sketch about her teeth ‘mean and unfunny’. The BAFTA-winning actress sat down for a coffee with friend and fellow actor, Ralph Davis.
Aimee kept a low-profile but looked as gorgeous as ever in a casual outfit. The talented star went makeup-free for her coffee date with her friend and opted to wear a burgundy baseball cap – perhaps in an attempt to not be noticed.
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