"It Feels a Bit Rebellious": Aimee Lou Wood Gets Honest About Her 'Unconventional' Features

Aimee Lou Wood, the talented British actress known for her roles in Sex Education and the latest season of The White Lotus, has spoken out about an unexpected challenge in her career—her teeth. In a refreshingly honest conversation, Wood revealed the reason she believes her natural smile might have cost her roles in Hollywood. Even so, she refuses to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.

The actress, who has been praised for her down-to-earth charm and authentic performances, shared that her teeth have been seen as an obstacle, particularly by people considering her for American roles.

"It's the teeth, like, no Americans have my teeth. They just don't," Wood stated in a recent interview. "I played an American in a play in Chicago and afterwards this guy in the bar, he was talking to me, and he went: 'I knew it. I knew it. Your accent was great, but I knew you weren’t American. You just don't look American.'"

The discussion around her teeth is part of a larger conversation about beauty standards in the entertainment industry—one that many actors have had to navigate. Wood has noticed how even her natural appearance has become a talking point among audiences.

"Even the way [White Lotus fans] are talking about me and my teeth—that I don’t have veneers or Botox—it feels a bit rebellious."

Although joining the third season of The White Lotus has opened the actress up to new critics, it has also introduced her to a whole new group of friends. "It was like a really weird, dysfunctional family," Wood commented on her relationship with her co-stars.

There was one colleague who always managed to bring her back to earth. "He brought me down," Wood said, describing fellow co-star, Patrick Schwarzenegger. "It was like I was floating off, and he'd be like, 'There you go, you're fine.'"

While many praise her for embracing her natural features, the fact that it’s seen as unusual highlights the pressure actors face to conform to Hollywood’s polished aesthetic.

Wood has come to embrace what makes her unique rather than giving in to pressure to change her appearance. And in doing so, she's inspired girls all over the world to embrace their unconventional features. "I'm getting hundreds of messages from people going, 'Oh my god, you've got teeth like mine. Now I go to school and people think I'm cool because I look like Aimee,'" she said.

In an era where celebrities are expected to conform to every beauty standard, Wood’s stance is a powerful reminder that beauty isn’t about perfection—it’s about confidence. And with her rising career and undeniable talent, it’s clear that her smile isn’t holding her back at all.

While Wood embraces her natural teeth, many other stars have chosen to alter their smiles as seen in these celebrity transformations.