Aimee Lou Wood Shares How Angelina Jolie Supported Her on the Set of Anxious People
Aimee Lou Wood opened up about gaining confidence after speaking out against a “mean and unfunny” Saturday Night Live impression. In a Harper’s Bazaar interview, the star of The White Lotus and Sex Education described a moment during filming of the Marc Forster movie Anxious People, where Angelina Jolie also stars.
Finding Her Voice Amid On-Set Challenges
Wood recalled panicking during an emotional scene as multiple crew members shouted directions at her. She asked for just one clear instruction, with no hand gestures blocking her view. Wood explained,
“I’ve spent years feeling unable to say anything like that for fear of seeming argumentative – but now I feel like I can take ownership of what I need to thrive, and tell people what won’t work for me.”
After she spoke up, Wood noticed Angelina Jolie silently encouraging her with a thumbs up. She said, “She’s possibly the most famous woman ever, but she’s so normal.”
Breaking Patterns and Speaking Out
Wood connected this experience to a previous moment of standing up for herself during the April SNL sketch that parodied White Lotus Season 3. The sketch featured Sarah Sherman exaggerating Wood’s character Chelsea, including a gag about her teeth.
“When I spoke up, all I could see was Angelina giving me a thumbs up.”
Wood described the SNL intervention as “breaking a pattern” of not standing up to childhood bullies and said she feels empowered to advocate for herself now.
Summary
Aimee Lou Wood credits Angelina Jolie’s quiet support and her own growing confidence for helping her assert her needs and break past old fears both on set and in public moments.
Would you like the summary to be more formal or casual?