‘White Lotus’ Star Aimee Lou Wood Criticizes SNL for ‘Mean’ Sketch - The New York Times


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Aimee Lou Wood's Criticism of SNL

Aimee Lou Wood, known for her role in HBO's 'The White Lotus,' publicly criticized a 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL) sketch that parodied her smile and accent. She described the sketch as "mean and unfunny," stating that while she appreciates humor, the SNL skit was not clever and focused on her unique teeth rather than her acting talent.

Details of the SNL Sketch

The SNL sketch, titled "The White POTUS," featured Sarah Sherman impersonating Wood's character with prosthetic teeth. Wood specifically pointed out that the joke centered on a perceived flaw in her teeth, rather than her personality or acting performance.

Wood's Response and SNL's Apology

Wood took to Instagram to share her disappointment. While she acknowledged receiving apologies from SNL, she didn't elaborate on their nature. She also noted the overwhelming support she received online following her initial posts, with some messages noting the sketch's descent into misogynistic humor.

Previous Comments on Body Image

The article references previous statements Wood made expressing discomfort with the media's focus on her appearance, particularly her natural smile, which has received significant attention. Wood feels this attention overshadows her acting work and the messages of freedom and rebellion she believes her smile represents. She questioned whether the level of scrutiny she faced would be the same if she were male.

Context of 'The White Lotus'

The third season of 'The White Lotus,' which recently concluded, was the most popular to date. Wood plays the character of Chelsea, a young British woman, in this critically acclaimed series.

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Aimee Lou Wood, a star of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” has criticized “Saturday Night Live” for a sketch that mocked her smile, calling it “mean and unfunny.”

Ms. Wood, a British actress, posted on Instagram on Sunday objecting to the sketch, in which the S.N.L. cast member Sarah Sherman impersonates Ms. Wood’s character while wearing large prosthetic teeth.

“I am not thin skinned,” Ms. Wood, 31, wrote in one of a series of posts on her Instagram stories, adding that she loves being joked about when “it’s clever and in good spirits.” But “the joke was about fluoride. I have big gap teeth not bad teeth,” she wrote.

In a subsequent post, Ms. Wood said she had received “apologies” from S.N.L. but did not elaborate. Representatives for Ms. Wood and NBC, which broadcasts S.N.L., did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The sketch, titled “The White POTUS,” imagined the show’s characters replaced by President Trump and members of his cabinet. Ms. Wood, who is from Manchester, England, also criticized Ms. Sherman’s impersonation of her Mancunian accent.

After her initial posts, Ms. Wood said that she had since received thousands of messages of support. She shared what appeared to be one such message, which said: “It was a sharp and funny skit until it suddenly took a screeching turn into 1970’s misogyny.”

The third season of “The White Lotus,” which concluded this month and was the series’s most popular yet, follows wealthy guests and staff members at a wellness resort in Thailand. Among the guests is Chelsea, played by Ms. Wood, a young romantic British woman who is dating an enigmatic older American.

Ms. Wood has been celebrated for her natural smile, especially at a time when many celebrities are opting for veneers to achieve “perfect” teeth. But in a recent interview with GQ magazine, she said that the news media’s focus on her appearance in coverage of the most recent season of “The White Lotus” had made her feel uncomfortable, even if the attention was intended to be positive.

“It makes me really happy that it’s symbolizing rebellion and freedom, but there’s a limit,” she told the magazine. “The whole conversation is just about my teeth, and it makes me a bit sad because I’m not getting to talk about my work.”

“I don’t know if it was a man would we be talking about it this much?” she added.

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