Aimée Lou Wood (born 3 February 1994) is an English actress. She is best known for her debut role as Aimee Gibbs in the Netflix original comedy-drama series Sex Education.
Early life
Wood is from Stockport, Greater Manchester. Her mother works for Childline and her father is a car dealer. Following her parents’ divorce, she attended Cheadle Hulme School. She mostly retained her regional accent, and she described the other students as “posher” than her.
She took a Foundation Course at the Oxford School of Drama. She then went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2017. During her time at RADA, Wood was involved in many productions, such as playing Margaret in a production of Scuttlers directed by Hannah Eidinow, and as Goody in Vinegar Tom, directed by Cressida Brown. Wood played Jess in Hen, a short film directed by James Larkin, and Yulia in Summerfolk, directed by Deborah Paige.
Career
In 2019, Wood made her screen debut as Aimee Gibbs, a main character in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education, alongside co-stars Emma Mackey, Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa and Gillian Anderson. Wood had originally auditioned for the part of ‘Lily’ (played by Tanya Reynolds), but was more than happy to land the role of Aimee Gibbs. Wood’s Agent is Lizzie Newell, Independent Talent Group.
Wood landed her first lead acting role in a film opposite Bill Nighy in the Oliver Hermanus directed film Living, an English remake on the 1952 Japanese film Ikiru, which is due to hit the cinema’s in 2021.
Personal life
Wood’s Sex Education co-star, Connor Swindells, confirmed that they were in a relationship in January 2019.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Hen | Jess | Short film |
| 2021 | Living | Margaret Wood | Post-production |
| 2021 | The Electrical Life of Louis Wain | Claire | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–present | Sex Education | Aimee Gibbs | Series regular; 16 episodes |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2017 | Mary Stuart | Handmaiden | Almeida Theatre, London |
| 2017 | People, Places and Things | Laura | UK tour |
| 2018–2019 | Downstate | Effie | Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, Chicago; Royal National Theatre, London |
| 2020 | Uncle Vanya | Sonya | Harold Pinter Theatre, London |