Aimee Lou Wood reveals one crucial thing that made her comfortable to perform intimate scenes in The White Lotus

Actress Aimee Lou Wood, during an interview with GQ, shared how she navigated performing intimate scenes for The White Lotus and how one particular adjustment on set made her feel both empowered and relaxed, something lacking during her early days on Sex Education.

Changing the narrative

Hypothetically, The White Lotus features complex plots, and Aimee Lou Wood’s counteracting bold storytelling reveals her personal vulnerabilities on screen. Wood explains why this time the difference for her was not what she had to do on screen, but rather how the cast tackled it.

During an interview, the actress shared how open exchanges with Monaghan and Carrie Coon became the most constructive in terms of intimacy and nudity and how the whole approach to the subject was changed.

“It made me feel so much better,” she said. “Because what bothered me about Sex Education, that I'm only just realizing, is not what I did—it’s the fact that I felt like I was the only one.”

Aimee Lou Wood feeling bare and isolated

Aimee Lou Wood’s reflections indicate a more profound emotional current linked to earlier work. In Sex Education, which earned acclaim for its candid and modern portrayal of myriad issues and relationships, she felt she bore a disproportionate share of the burden.

“In the first season, no one else in the main cast actually went to the extremes I went to,” she said. “And so I think that’s what made me feel exposed.”

That feeling of being alone, she now understands, proved to be far more challenging than the actual scenes.

The impact of collective vulnerability

Unlike the experience she had on Sex Education, Aimee Lou Wood found a place of empathy and support as a shared space on The White Lotus. Monaghan and Coon, both of whom are established in the industry, contributed to the fertile ground of freely discussing what worked and what was off-limits for their characters.

These conversations, explored beyond the set, were transformative for Wood.

"We spoke about whether it actually made sense for our storylines,” she said. “It wasn’t just assumed, and I wasn’t left to navigate it alone.”

Being unrestricted with intimacy

Aimee Lou Wood’s remarks draw attention to a marked shift in the approach towards intimacy in screen acting—instead of a checklist, it becomes an element of creative cooperation.

This change, driven in part by intimacy coordinators and vocal cast members, enabled those like Wood to change their own narrative around vulnerability and exposure on screen.

She suggested that the experience of The White Lotus was equally transformative in terms of healing as it was in performance.

“It really changed things for me. I didn’t feel like I had to prove anything. I just had to be part of the story.”

A growing conversation in the industry

Aimee Lou Wood’s tale fits into a bigger narrative reckoning in the entertainment business. As more actors share their stories, both positive and negative, the culture on set is increasingly shifting toward consent, dialogue, and respect.

And, for Wood, that change was monumental. Not because she was restricted from performing any less, but because more so, she felt she wasn’t at any point required to go about it all solo.

Aimee Lou Wood's unfiltered critique underscores how adversarial content can be best dealt with if there is visible and tangible support in place. First and foremost, having an intimacy coordinator or entertaining scenes is minimalistic, bound by emotional equity, empathy, and investment.