Before Aimee Lou Wood traveled to Thailand inThe White Lotusseason 3, she played a fantastic character in one of Netflix’s best original comedy series:Sex Education. Wood’s performance asChelsea inThe White Lotuswas a highlight of the dark dramedy’s latest season. In a hotel filled with debauchery, anger, murderers, and shady deals, Chelsea’s kind, spiritual energy was a ray of light.
The White Lotusseason 3wasn’t Aimee Lou Wood’s first major TV role, however.In 2019, she sprang onto the scene as Aimee Gibbs in the Netflix originalSex Education, starring alongside fellow young British talent like Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa, and Emma Mackey. WhileSex Educationhas very little, if anything, in common withThe White Lotus, Wood’s performance stood out in both shows.
Aimee Lou Wood’s Performance As Aimee Gibbs Is A Masterpiece
Aimee Is One Of Sex Education’s Best Characters
InSex Education,Aimee Lou Wood plays Aimee Gibbs, a young, empathetic, outgoing, artistic, and undeniably funny British high school student.Though Aimee wasn’t one of the show’s leading characters, she had an incredible character arc, learning to stand up for herself and how to ask for what she wanted, especially in her personal life.
Wood had chemistry with every single one of her co-stars, and, together with Ncuti Gatwa’s character Eric Effiong, was arguably the heart of the show.
Wood had chemistry with every single one of her co-stars, and, together with Ncuti Gatwa’s character Eric Effiong, was arguably the heart of the show.At one point in the series, Aimee has to process and work through sexual assault; her trauma unites a group of previously antagonistic young women, leading to one of the most empowering moments of female solidarity in coming-of-age television.
Aimee was genuinely kind, but she was also funny and unapologetically herself.Wood made her so likable and authentic, you don’t even question it when her character decides to bring a goat (aptly named Goat) to school because she can’t find anyone else to look after it. That’s just part of who she is. You end up loving her just as much as her best friend, Maeve (Mackey), does.
How Aimee Gibbs Compares To Chelsea On The White Lotus
There Are A Few Similarities Between The Characters
There are definite similarities betweenSex Education’s Aimee andThe White Lotus’Chelsea. Both are unfailingly optimistic, positive characters.Chelsea is a bit more of a fish-out-of-water, though, both in herodd-couple relationship with Walton Goggins' depressive Rickand in the White Lotus' swanky resort environment.
Sex Education’s Aimee has more to learn about herself, however. Despite her ignorance about her trip to Thailand, you never get the sense that Chelsea ever worries about who she is.
Rick leaves her to fend for herself most of the time, but thankfully, much like the fictional Aimee, she’s capable of making friends wherever she goes (even if those friends are… questionable).Sex Education’s Aimee has more to learn about herself, however. Despite her ignorance about her trip to Thailand, you never get the sense that Chelsea ever worries about who she is.
Interestingly,White Lotuscreator Mike White hadn’t seenSex Educationbefore Wood auditioned for the show. In an interview withRadioTimes.com, Wood explained how she approached playing these two compelling characters, and how she felt about their similarities:
“She’s not like Aimee Gibbs, she’s like Aimee Wood. It’s so funny because obviously there’s a lot of me in Aimee because, as actors, you want to express yourself through a character. So the similarity is probably that Aimee is like me, and Chelsea is also like me, they’re just different parts of me – because I just like shedding. I like expressing parts of me through the characters that I’m given. I think they’ve got a similar optimism, but I actually think, at their core, they’re quite different humans.”
There’s no denying Aimee Lou Wood’s talent and magnetic, energetic screen presence. If you enjoyed her role inThe White Lotus, I can guarantee you’ll love her inSex Education.
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The White Lotus
Cast
The White Lotus is a television series that explores the interactions of guests and staff at an upscale tropical resort. Premiering in 2021, the narrative unfolds over a week, revealing underlying complexities and tensions among the resort’s seemingly ideal travelers and employees.
Sex Education
Sex Education is a comedic-drama series that follows various students, parents, and staff of Moordale Secondary School and their awkward sexual dilemmas. The series primarily focuses on student Otis Milburn with a dour outlook on sex due to his mother’s occupation as a sex therapist who has several affairs with zero attachments. Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on his second-hand knowledge and ambivalence to sex, Otis and his friend Eric set up an in-school clinic to advise other students with sexual issues. This clinic becomes compromised when Otis begins to have feelings for one of his clients.
