The Sex Education cast may have started their careers in the halls of Moordale Secondary School, but the show’s biggest stars are now making waves in Hollywood. Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey and Connor Swindells landed roles in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie last year, while Simone Ashley played the lead in Bridgerton season 2.
However, one of the breakout stars from Sex Education is, without a doubt, Aimee Lou Wood. Not only did she capture the nation’s hearts as the loveable Aimee Gibbs on the show, but she has always been candid offscreen, never shying from talking about the reality of fame and her mental health.
So when it was announced that Aimee is joining The White Lotus cast for season 3, it was, of course, very exciting. The show has amassed a huge fanbase over the course of just two seasons, with the likes of Sydney Sweeney, Jennifer Coolidge and Theo James gracing the small screen as the luxury hotel chain’s wealthy and obnoxious guests.
While details about Aimee’s role in The White Lotus have been kept tightly under wraps, we do know one thing – producers were keen for her to abandon the character’s planned US accent so that she could retain her Mancunian lilt. In an interview with Radio Times, she said: “My character was meant to be American and then I did a self-tape, one in an American accent and one in my own. They were like, ‘Yeah, we want your own voice,’ so my character is going to be from Manchester.”
Aimee, who was born in Stockport, also shared that despite learning how to emulate the ‘standard British’ accent at drama school, casting directors and producers have often encouraged her to lean in to her own accent, explaining: “[RADA] said Received Pronunciation was going to be the main accent we needed, so I should know when to dial my accent down, but that’s not been the case at all – if anything, people ask me to amp it up.”
And she won’t be the only cast member who has brought a distinct British dialect to the show, either. For The White Lotus season 2, Leo Woodall – who was born in West London – said he watched The Only Way Is Essex to nail Jack’s cheeky chappy twang, while Tom Hollander’s character Quentin had a very posh drawl.
Now that the first teaser trailer for The White Lotus season 3 has officially dropped, we’re patiently waiting for its release. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long…
