"I got very, very attached to the bumps"
Aimee Lou Wood won a Bafta for Sex Education and plaudits for Cabaret — but she’s much happier pretending to be pregnant
Fudge Park Productions/James Stack
- Laura Rutkowski
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After her breakthrough role in Netflix’s Sex Education, Aimee Lou Wood has gone on to star in films including The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Seize Them! and Living. The 29-year-old’s latest role is in the new BBC3 comedy Daddy Issues, where she plays Gemma, a girl who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand and
has to reluctantly seek support from her clueless father, Malcolm (David Morrissey). Now the in-demand actor reveals all about corpsing on set, getting attached to prosthetic baby bumps and why she’s scared to take on another theatre role.
How would you describe Gemma, the character you play in Daddy Issues?
She’s been let down a lot in life, so she’s got this spiky, slightly sarcastic defence up. She’s hyper independent and kind of a lone wolf. It’s always conveyed in TV shows that every young person has a big friendship group, or they have a best friend. I don’t think a lot of people have that. Gemma certainly doesn’t – which is why she is pushed to accept help from her dad, Malcolm. She then gets to know her father as a person.
How did you find getting into the father-daughter dynamic with David Morrissey?
There were certain bits where Malcolm really reminded me of my dad. I just love David so much. This might mean nothing to you, but we’re both Scorpio moons [the actors’ star signs] – I knew because we were so aligned instantly and had the best, deepest chats and then would go on set and be silly. People associate David with gritty dramas – I am so excited for them to see him being so funny. I had to do some of my lines with my back turned to him, because as soon as we looked at each other, we burst into laughter.
Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey as Gemma and Malcolm. BBC/Fudge Park Productions/James Stack
You play a pregnant woman in the series. How did you find that experience?
I filmed Toxic Town [an upcoming Netflix drama starring Jodie Whittaker and Robert Carlyle] just before Daddy Issues, and I also played a pregnant character in that. I had to change bump sizes a lot while filming both of these shows. I got very, very attached to the bumps, especially the big ones.
You were born in Stockport, and Daddy Issues was filmed in and around the area. How was it being back?
It did feel a bit like a homecoming. There was a lot of, “Oh, your auntie said you were filming here!” It’s quite fun being a Stockport talking point. It has been weird though, because I’m usually the only northern actor when I do a job and my accent is a novelty, like “Oh, how cute”. But for Daddy Issues I was surrounded by a northern crew. My friends in London said my accent has become so much stronger!
I’m usually the only northern actor when I do a job
Have you ever felt pressured to tone down your accent?
I did at drama school [Wood graduated from Rada in 2017]. They 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!
Your next big role is in series three of The White Lotus — what accent will we hear from you in that?
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!
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You’ve starred in a few theatre productions, including Uncle Vanya and Cabaret. Is it something you enjoy?
Years ago, an actor told me, “It’s really important to keep going back to theatre, because otherwise you’ll develop a fear for it, you’ll get stage fright,” but after Cabaret, I am scared [Wood played the role of Sally Bowles at London’s Playhouse Theatre in 2023]. I loved it, it was my dream role and it changed me as a person, but it almost killed me. Going on Sally’s journey every night was hard.
Tell us more about that…
I felt like I was naked on stage. Afterwards, people would say I was great, and I was thinking, “I wasn’t pretending, I was actually just screaming and crying and having a breakdown.” The line between reality and fiction always gets blurred, but with Cabaret that line was just gone. I want to stay in the safe bosom of a TV set – I think I’m going to have to wait at least five years to do another play.
You won a Bafta in 2021 for your portrayal of Aimee Gibbs in Sex Education, which was your first on-screen role. Has that been a lot to live up to?
I wasn’t expecting to be nominated, let alone win. The night before the awards, people said to me, “The nomination is really nice, but you’re not going to win, so just enjoy being there.” Then they called my name, and I found it really emotional.
Do you think awards are valuable in the industry?
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It’s so subjective. There are so many incredible performances and actors who will never get recognised by awards. You have to see an award as a lovely thing and then let it go. You do terrible work if you think, “I hope Bafta sees this and loves it.” All you can ever do is just tell the story and be as truthful as you can.
Authors
Laura Rutkowski
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